Message from the President

I am honored and delighted to serve as the third president of TAGME. I look forward to continuing the outstanding tradition set by Ruth Nawotniak and Jeri Whitten, who have been my mentors and whom I now consider my friends.

My first experience with TAGME goes back to the fall of 2004. Earlier that year, the AADPRT Coordinators Section had voted to explore certification through TAGME. In October I traveled to Buffalo, New York, as Psychiatry’s representative, to attend the TAGME Board of Directors meeting. Full of interest, I wanted to find out just what TAGME was all about. It didn’t take long that morning we began work on global competency tools!

What impressed me most then and now is that TAGME began as a grassroots organization. National certification was not being imposed on the profession by the ACGME, institutions, programs, or training directors. National certification was the vision of residency coordinators and grew from their interests, knowledge, hard work, and dedication to high standards in graduate medical education. It is about professional career development. It is the pursuit of excellence. It is the ability to meet national standards and requirements. It is voluntary.

TAGME continues to branch out and grow. Neurology was welcomed as the newest specialty to offer certification at the Spring 2007 Board of Directors meeting. Congratulations to Andrea Perseghin, Terry Marshall, and Kristin Stacey for their fine work.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Neurosurgery are the newest task forces to be approved, and many more are in process. TAGME’s home page lists the ACGME specialties; those that offer certification are in blue and those that are actively working on tools are in green. Bookmark the TAGME webpage, check back on the progress and watch the colors change.

Linda Gacioch
President, TAGME
July, 2007