Dr. Murray Kopelow announced that he will retire as President and Chief Executive of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) on July 31, 2015. Remarkably, Dr. Kopelow will have served as chief executive of the ACCME for over 20 years.
The timing of the announcement affords the ACCME more than a year to identify Dr. Kopelow’s successor and implement the transition process. ACCME stated that they “will conduct a national search for Dr. Kopelow’s successor. The ACCME will keep the CME and stakeholder community apprised of its progress.”
Under Dr. Kopelow’s guidance, the adoption and implementation of the Standards of Commercial Support has proven to be one of the most effective regulatory compliance programs in the country. Policy and Medicine has followed the ACCME’s work closely through the years, including a recent piece on their revised Standards for Commercial Support Webinar, which Dr. Kopelow administered.
Carlyle H. Chan, MD, Chair, Board of Directors, ACCME stated: “Dr. Kopelow’s executive management over the last 20 years leaves the ACCME in a healthy financial position, with an energetic, creative, and dedicated staff. Through these many years, Dr. Kopelow has envisioned and led the ACCME’s trajectory of innovation and improvement. The Board of Directors is committed to maintaining that trajectory. We are pleased that Dr. Kopelow will continue to lead the ACCME during the transition period, to ensure a smooth leadership transition process.”
According to CME Coalition Executive Director, Chris Lamond, “Dr. Kopelow’s leadership has been outstanding at the ACCME, and we look forward to his leadership and oversight for our CME providers and supporters until his final date of departure. He is both a tough regulator and a fierce advocate for continuing medical education.” Among his many achievements, Dr. Kopelow’s foresight to promote the use of CME at the FDA to educate physicians on LA/ER Opioid REMS was visionary, and his commitment to encouraging and incorporating stakeholder input into a consensus-building framework for change has been exemplary.
The CME Coalition notes that its members will miss Dr. Kopelow’s leadership and foresight.
There will be time in the next year to write about his many accomplishments, including his time as advisor to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and his leadership in establishing uniform accreditation standards for MD’s, Nursing and Pharmacists. In the meantime his oversight will ensure a healthy CME enterprise for the coming year.
For a Canadian, he has had quite a good run.