Before submitting your application, carefully review the content requirements section for hosting an activity with the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Ensure you meet all necessary criteria before proceeding.
ACMG continues to lead the field of medical genetics education through its nationally accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) program. With more than 25 years of continuous accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), ACMG is committed to providing timely, high-quality and independent education that strengthens professional practice and patient care.
During the 2021–2025 accreditation cycle, ACMG successfully implemented comprehensive reforms to align with the new ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. These efforts included streamlining financial disclosure procedures through AAMC’s Convey® platform, implementing rigorous peer review and content validation processes, and providing real-time monitoring of live events to uphold scientific balance and transparency.
A core strength of ACMG’s program lies in its content. Our education program continues to prioritize case-based, applied learning that resonates with our diverse professional audience. Learners have responded strongly to offerings like the ClinGen Somatic Cancer Series, ACT Sheet Knowledge Nuggets, and our annual Gene Therapy Series, which together have drawn thousands of participants and elevated genomic literacy across disciplines.
To meet growing demand, ACMG expanded its Genetics Academy, launched competency-based programs like the ClinGen Curation Modules, and created new pathways for volunteer involvement through 13 specialty workgroups. These changes have broadened faculty engagement, enhanced member collaboration, and ensured alignment between our programming and the evolving needs of our learners.
Even amidst challenges—such as the loss of federal funding in 2024—ACMG responded by integrating essential resources into our CME portfolio in order to maintain continuity for topics such as newborn screening, policy and counseling.
Feedback from learners confirms our direction is making a difference:
- 94% report greater confidence applying new genetics knowledge in practice.
- 91% say ACMG’s CME improves their clinical or laboratory decision-making.
These data reinforce what we hear every day: ACMG education is driving meaningful change.
Call for Members: Join Our Mission to Uphold Scientific Integrity
As we continue to expand our educational offerings, we are seeking ACMG members with no relevant financial relationships to support content review and mitigation.
If you:
- Are free of disclosures related to ineligible companies, and
- Want to help safeguard the integrity of our accredited education
…then we would love to hear from you!
Reviewers assist with content validation, identify potential conflicts and ensure that our education meets the highest scientific and ethical standards.
Interested? Please contact Jane Radford at jradford@acmg.net. Your contribution will help ensure that ACMG continues to deliver trusted, independent genetics education to clinicians, laboratory professionals and learners across the field.
Together we are building a stronger, more transparent future for genomics in medicine.
Balancing Compliance and Expertise: Upholding Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
Continuing medical education (CME) plays a vital role in improving healthcare delivery, and its value depends on trust—trust that the education is independent, evidence-based and free from commercial influence. To preserve this integrity, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) has established the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. A core feature of these standards is the distinction between eligible and ineligible companies, and the clear expectations placed on accredited providers like ACMG.
What Is an Ineligible Company?
An ineligible company is one whose primary business is to produce, market, sell, re-sell or distribute healthcare products used by or on patients. This includes pharmaceutical manufacturers, device makers and diagnostic companies with proprietary products. A biomedical startup becomes ineligible once it initiates a governmental regulatory approval process—such as filing an IND or PMA—even before products reach the market. Subsidiaries of ineligible companies are also considered ineligible, regardless of internal firewalls.
What Is an Eligible Company?
An eligible company does not produce or market patient-facing healthcare products. Examples include academic medical centers, government agencies and labs that do not sell proprietary products.
Why It Matters
Owners and employees of ineligible companies cannot plan, deliver or evaluate accredited education unless they qualify for one of three narrow exceptions:
- The content is unrelated to their company’s products
- The content is basic science research only
- They are demonstrating device use without care recommendations
ACMG’s Process to Maintain Integrity
To ensure compliance and transparency, ACMG:
- Collects disclosures using Planstone and AAMC Convey
- Determines relevance and exclusions based on company status and content alignment
- Mitigates conflicts via recusal, peer review and content restrictions
- Discloses all relevant financial relationships and mitigation steps to learners
- Monitors sessions in real-time and post-activity for signs of commercial bias
This structured approach ensures that ACMG’s accredited activities remain rigorous, independent and aligned with the ACCME’s standards of scientific and ethical excellence.
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ACMG’s Strategy for Content Integrity When Experts Work at Ineligible Labs
In the field of genetics and genomics, many of the most qualified experts work at diagnostic laboratories—some of which are considered ineligible under ACCME’s definitions due to their development or sale of proprietary clinical tests. For ACMG, this presents a complex challenge: How do we protect the integrity of accredited continuing education while ensuring that our programming includes authoritative, field-leading expertise?
1. Content Before Speakers
ACMG begins with the educational need, not the speaker. Content gaps drive planning decisions, ensuring topics are selected based on clinical relevance, not personal affiliations.
2. Judicious Use of ACCME Exceptions
Faculty affiliated with ineligible companies may only participate if their role and content fall under one of ACCME’s permitted exceptions—such as delivering basic science content or demonstrating technical device usage. These exceptions are applied sparingly and only after detailed review.
3. Use of Non-CME Formats When Necessary
When a speaker’s expertise is essential, but their conflict cannot be mitigated, ACMG may offer the session as non-accredited and clearly distinguish it from accredited programming.
4. Peer Review Safeguards
All content is peer-reviewed by individuals with no relevant financial relationships. This ensures scientific rigor and neutrality, even when the content area is highly specialized.
5. Curated Roster of Independent Experts
ACMG maintains a robust pool of faculty and reviewers who are both highly experienced and free of industry conflicts. This roster is regularly refreshed and expanded to include emerging leaders and early-career professionals.
6. Ad Hoc Review for Complex Cases
When a lab’s eligibility is unclear, ACMG convenes an internal committee—including education and compliance leadership—to evaluate the company’s structure, funding and business model. This allows consistent, well-documented decisions.
ACMG’s dual commitment to the highest standards of integrity and to scientific excellence drives a thoughtful approach that meets ACCME’s expectations without sacrificing educational value. Our careful vetting and mitigation procedures allow us to deliver content that is both compliant and credible, ensuring that our learners receive the most accurate and balanced education possible.