Organization of Program Director Associations

The Organization of Program Director Associations (OPDA) promotes the role of residency and fellowship program directors and societies in achieving excellence in graduate medical education.

OPDA promotes communication and cooperation between residency programs and elevates the political voice of residency program directors at a national level. Members meet regularly with peers for information sharing, collaborative problem-solving, and periodic symposia focused on timely issues in graduate medical education.

Audience: 

OPDA is of interest and relevance to— 

  • Individual residency and fellowship program directors of graduate medical education  
  • Specialty societies with graduate-level residency and fellowship programs 

Value: 

Through community and capacity building, OPDA is shaping the future of residency program director and program director societies. CMSS’s support of OPDA is part of our commitment to foster community and advance shared priorities through shared learning and collaboration. Contact the team members below to become an OPDA member.

Contact: 

Suzanne Pope, Senior Advisor 

Sarah Simmons, Administrator 

OPDA Member Societies 

  • Association of Professors of Dermatology (APD)
  • Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD)
  • Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD)
  • Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM)
  • Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics (APHMG)
  • Program Directors of the Academic Council of Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI)
  • Program Directors of Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS)
  • American Academy of Neurology Consortium of Neurology Program Directors (CNPD)
  • Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG)
  • Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) Program Directors Council (PDC)
  • American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Council of Residency Directors (CORD)
  • Pathology Residency Directors Society (PRODS) Association of Pathology Chairs (APC)
  • Association of Pediatrics Program Directors (APPD)
  • Association of Pediatric Surgery Training Program Directors (APSTPD)
  • Association of Academic Physiatrists/ Resident Program Directors Council (AAP)
  • Association of Academic Chairs of Plastic Surgery (AACPS)
  • American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training (AADPRT)
  • Association of Program Directors in Interventional Radiology (APDIR)
  • Association of Program Directors in Radiology (APDR)
  • Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA)
  • Assn For Hospital Medical Education and Council of Transitional Year Program Directors (AHME CTYPD)
  • Society of Academic Urologists
  • Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society
  • Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery
  • Allergy/Immunology Training Program Directors (A/ITPD)
  • Association of Anesthesiology Core Program Directors (AACPD)
  • Association of Program Directors for Colon & Rectal Surgery (APDCRS)
  • Otolaryngology Program Directors Organization (OPDO)
  • Preventive Medicine Residencies (ACPM)
  • Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS)

OPDA Leadership – Executive Committee 

  • Daniel Dent, MD, Chair
  • Adena Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, Chair-Elect
  • Margaret C. Lo, MD, FACP, Secretary/Treasurer
  • Jim Anderson, MD, Member At Large
  • Andrea Dutoit, MD, Member At Large

Program Directors Association Guides for Residency Applicants 

The Program Directors Association Guide for Residency Applicants is a joint effort between the Organization of Program Directors Association (OPDA) and AAMC to improve communication and provide program directors guidance on key specialty-specific application information and resources. Each guide includes information on letters of recommendation, away rotations, program signals, USMLE/Complex scores, interview format, etc.

To complete the PD association guide for residency applicants, please follow the instructions and use the fillable pdf template or provide a free text document with all domains addressed. Please refer to the exemplar which uses a fictional example of the Basket-Weaving specialty.

The following program directors associations have provided OPDA with completed guides that include guidance on these key specialty application parameters for student deans and prospective applicants: 

*The information in each guide was provided by the individual Program Director Association for student applicants and student deans to reference. The information in the guides does not represent CMSS or OPDA’s stances on these application parameters. 

OPDA Fall Meeting 2024 

The Fall 2024 in-person meeting was held on Friday, November 22, 2024, from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm (CST) at the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, 505 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL. 

OPDA Program Highlights

The meeting focused on the following topics:  

  • Program Director Wellness
  • Supporting Struggling Learners
  • How to Engage Gen Z for Success
  • Understanding Osteopathic and IMG Applicant Perspectives
OPDA logo

OPDA News and Resources

Past OPDA Meeting agendas, presentations, recordings

cmss members speaking

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