Organization of Program Director Associations

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
• Deborah Spitz, MD, Immediate Past Chair
• Adena Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, Secretary-Treasurer
• Karen George, MD, MPH, Member At Large
• Margaret C. Lo, MD, FACP, 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. 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: 

• Dermatology 
• Diagnostic Radiology 
• Emergency Medicine 
• Internal Medicine 
• Medical Genetics and Genomics (categorical) 
• Medical Genetics and Genomics (combined) 
• Neurology 
• Neurological Surgery 
• Orthopaedics 
• Otolaryngology 
• Pathology 
• Pediatrics 
• Residency recruitment recommendations  
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 
• Preventive Medicine 
• Psychiatry 
• Surgery – General 
• Surgical Critical Care 
• Thoracic 
• Transitional Year Residency

*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 

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

This meeting is being held in conjunction with the CMSS Annual Meeting which will be at the same location, November 20-22, 2024. Visit the MEETINGS page of the CMSS website for more information and to book your hotel. 

OPDA Program Highlights: 

The full Program Schedule will be posted as soon as it is available. In the meantime, we’re pleased to share several topics which will be covered by speakers and panelists: 

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

Register for the OPDA Fall Meeting on 11/22.

Program directors: we’re in this together. 

Register Today