The John Tooker Evergreen Awards Program provides opportunities to recognize the valuable contributions of ACP chapters as they strive to enrich, educate, and engage membership. In 2026, ACP recognized 11 winning chapters. A description of the winning programs is listed below. For more information on the John Tooker Evergreen Awards, contact Dana Acord at dacord@acponline.org.
California Southern III—I.M. for IMGs: Creating and Fostering Opportunities for Connection, Mentorship, and Allyship for International Medical Graduate Members
Through a powerful chapter-led collaboration, four in-person “I.M. for IMGs” events have been held at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meetings for hundreds of international medical graduate (IMG) members, mentors, and allies. The California Southern III Chapter, among 20 revolving domestic and international chapters, developed the “I.M. for IMGs” event series to strengthen IMG belonging, inclusion, and community. The program opened new pathways, possibilities, and connections for IMG leaders and members to connect across multiple chapters and provide additional programming to ACP’s annual meeting.
Colombia—Se Cierra Interconsulta, an Adaptation of Consult Guys in Latin America
Se Cierra Interconsulta (Consult Signed Off) was a digital education initiative led by the Colombia Chapter in collaboration with the Colombian Association of Internal Medicine (ACMI). The program was designed to replicate and adapt Annals of Internal Medicine’s Consult Guys, a proven and successful initiative, for Spanish-speaking physicians and trainees who face language barriers. Since its launch, the program has reached more than 350,000 collective viewers across Latin America, engaging physicians, residents, and medical students in collaborative learning.
Colombia—El IV Encuentro de IMIGs Colombia
El IV Encuentro de IMIGs (the 4th National Meeting of Internal Medicine Interest Groups in Colombia) was a national initiative led by the Colombia Chapter and ACMI that strengthened the community of internal medicine interest groups (IMIGs) throughout the country. The meeting brought together student representatives from IMIGs at various Colombian universities, along with faculty members, to share successful experiences, present impactful projects, and define joint growth strategies.
Delaware—Advancing Advocacy in Delaware
The Delaware Chapter established a durable physician advocacy program at the state level focused on consistent policy engagement, resolution drafting, testimony submissions, and direct collaboration with policymakers and the Medical Society of Delaware. The chapter elevated critical issues including primary care sustainability, patient access challenges, and prior authorization reforms. This advocacy framework is now institutionalized and provides a replicable model for sustained physician engagement.
Massachusetts—Navigating Medicine: A Program Series to Improve Understanding of Each Other's Experiences in Medicine
The Navigating Medicine Series was designed by the Massachusetts Chapter’s Health Equity Committee to share experiences focused on diversity, emphasizing equity, inclusion, and justice. Speakers varied across career stage, practice type, and geography. Most recently, a key session at the chapter’s annual scientific meeting was added to provide attendees with glimpses on how to design and implement clinical programs to underserved patients.
Michigan—A Statewide Collaboration to Strengthen Physician Response to Emerging Public Health Challenges
The Michigan Chapter, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), launched Public Health Grand Rounds in July 2024 as a pilot initiative to offer quarterly CME-accredited sessions on timely physician-centered public health issues. Since then, the partnership held sessions on voting access and health equity, the role of physicians in firearm injury prevention, the impact of climate change on human health, and two grand rounds sessions.
New Hampshire—JEDI Corner
In collaboration with the New Hampshire DEI committee, the chapter identified a lack of education and awareness of important JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) concepts. The “JEDI Corner” initially launched with in-person micro-teaching sessions with the Governor’s Advisory Council that evolved into micro-teaching slides included in a standing section of the chapter’s newsletter.
New York—Creating a Climate Change Task Force
Through collaboration, education, and innovation, the New York Chapter’s Climate Change Task Force (CCTF) successfully built awareness of the health care sector’s environmental footprint, engaged members across diverse disciplines, and developed tangible actions to reduce the chapter’s environmental impact. CCTF continues to attract interest, increase member engagement, and expand the reach of activities and aims to position the New York Chapter as a recognized leader in climate health advocacy.
North Carolina—Chief Resident Summit
Over the past three years, the North Carolina Chapter has held a Chief Resident Summit, an annual one-day event for chief residents, residency program directors, and chapter leadership to connect and learn. The chapter has seen a rebound of resident and fellow membership numbers and has been invited to replicate the program for senior residents and present at local grand rounds. The summit continues to be well received and a wonderful way to connect with chief residents and program director leadership mid-year.
Oregon—A New Generation of Poster Competitions
The Oregon Chapter successfully transitioned to a digital abstract competition, accommodating a virtual round of judging that led to increased participation, improved socioeconomic equity, and markedly reduced cost to the chapter. The project arose from a need to separate the competition from the annual chapter meeting because it was held at a geographically distant area from Oregon’s medical school and residency programs.
Tennessee—Rituals and Traditions Series
The Tennessee Chapter’s Rituals and Traditions Series is a multichapter collaborative webinar program that explores how rituals, through traditional meals, storytelling, and cultural practices, offer windows into others’ lived experiences. At each event, speakers spend five to 10 minutes sharing unique traditions from their background that have fundamentally shaped their thoughts and practices. So far, 16 webinars have been conducted over the past two years.
Wisconsin—Philanthropy at the Chapter Meeting: How to Engage Members and Support the Community
The Wisconsin Chapter’s Annual Sharon Haase Advancement in Women's Health Award sought to recognize an individual/organization who demonstrated outstanding dedication to the health of women in Wisconsin. In 2022, the chapter combined the Women’s Health Award with the chapter’s Annual Meeting Philanthropy Event. Award recipients received additional publicity for their causes, targeted emails to chapter members, and designated collection sites at medical schools to fulfill the needs of the organizations they were supporting.
Special Recognition Awards
ACP awarded special recognition to five chapters for their efforts in implementing innovative programming:
Delaware, for Leading from WithIN: Empowering Women in INternal Medicine through Community and Collaboration
Maine, for Richard Engel, MD, FACP, Primary Care Symposium
Minnesota, for Midwest ACP Rural Health Equity Webinar Series
Nevada, for Partnering for Physician Well-being
New York, for Wisdom and Well Being: Making Healthcare Work Better for Physicians and Patients ■