Continuing medical education events are great ways for clinicians and researchers to exchange ideas. Presenters combine their clinical experience with extensive review of the current literature and distill it into key takeaways for attendees. That audience responds with feedback in the form of focused questions and by making it clear to presenters and organizers what they find pertinent to their patient care and research.

CME conferences are also great opportunities to catch up with old friends and make new connections. It is still easy to spot people who may not have seen each other since before spring 2020. And to share in their happiness at reunion.

The post-pandemic reunions at the most recent Updates in Infectious Diseases conference were supplemented by some additional reunions. Among some returnees was a recent fellowship graduate, Sammantha Kouba, DO, who now practices in Fargo, North Dakota, and a recently departed faculty member and former division director, Daniel Diekema, MD, who is now at Maine Health. Both Diekema and Kouba were recruited by conference organizers to present. Diekema also anchored an Internal Medicine Grand Rounds Clinical Pathological Case the day before.

This year’s ID CME event was focused around the intersection of primary care and infectious diseases, favoring the interests of the majority of the conference’s attendees from around the state and region.

• Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases Among People Who Inject Drugs
  Michael Ohl, MD
• Updates on Antibiotic Drug Allergy
  Amy Dowden, MD; Deanna McDaniel, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP
• Life-Changing Medications with Unintended Consequences: Infectious Risks of Biologic Agents
  Lemuel Non, MD
• Clostridium difficile
  Kunatum Prasidthrasint, MD

After the morning sessions and a midday meal, the afternoon featured two sets of breakout sessions for more narrowly focused topics. The group reconvened as one to watch as Carl LeBuhn, MD, presented cases for a panel of ID experts to puzzle out, giving the audience access to their clinical decision-making thought process.

• HIV 2023: Updates for Primary Care
  Quanhathai Kaewpoowat, MD
• The Farm and Beyond: A Look at Zoonotic Infections
  Jacob Hodges, MD
• Treating Covid-19 in the Community
  Patrick Kinn, PharmD
• Sick Child, Well Child: Pediatric Infectious Diseases in Urgent Care
  Lukas Weiner, MD
• Adult Immunizations 2023: An Update for Primary Care
  Matthew Smith, MD
• When UTI Gets Complicated: Treatment of Complicated, Recurrent and Drug Resistant Infections
  Joseph Tholany, MD
• Antibiotic Prophylaxis: When is it needed?
  Sammantha Kouba, DO
• Preventing Infections in Healthcare: Lessons Learned from COVID-19
  Takaaki Kobayashi, MD, MPH
• Meet the Professors: ID Case Presentations
  Moderator: Carl LeBuhn, MD
  Panel: Jason Barker, MD; Patrick Kinn, PharmD; Sammantha Kouba, DO; Judy Streit, MD

Postscript:

The evening before, members of our Division of Infectious Diseases gathered to honor and thank Diekema for his “leadership, commitment, and dedication” to the division he led for so many years.

Of the evening, Diekema wrote on Twitter: “What a privilege to be part of this great division for almost 3 decades. So many wonderful mentors and friends!”