The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) is a nonprofit organization that accredits continuing medical education (CME) courses, which are provided to physicians as part of licensing requirements to continue to practice. ¹

The ACCME claims to be a nonpartisan institution but promotes left-of-center principles, including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming. ²

Activities

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education was established in 1981 as a merger of numerous state-based and national medical groups that provided their own medical education accreditation. ³ The founding members included the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Association for Hospital Medical Education (AHME), the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS, now CMS), and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). ¹

ACCME designs continuing medical education courses, which test physicians on medical and practice developments and are required for physicians to continue practicing. ⁴ As of November 2025, there were over 1,500 accredited CME providers delivering 230,000 courses overseen by the ACCME. ⁵ As of 2025, ACCME accreditation was accepted in 29 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. ⁶

Controversies

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

The promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming is one of five principles in the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. According to its website, ACCME “will reward practices that incorporate [DEI] into all aspects of accredited education.” The ACCME’s approved CMEs include training for physicians to “recognize implicit biases,” “incorporate empathy training,” and “[advance] social justice.” ²

Gender Transition-Related Courses

In 2025, the Washington State University approved a continuing medical education (CME) course designed by the  Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) called “International Perspectives on Evidence-Based Treatment for Gender Dysphoric Youth” that “[explained] the side effects of experimental transgender medical interventions on children and Europe’s growing rejection of ‘gender-affirming care.’” ^{7 8 9}

Following the announcement, several Transgender activists and other organizations criticized the new course, citing SEGM’s profile by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which had previously “dubbed the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine an anti-LGBTQ hate group for its role in proliferating pseudoscience and transphobic policies.” ⁷ On October 29, journalist Erin Reed published a report about the controversy on her Substack account, also citing the SPLC terminology used to describe SEGM. That same day, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) began an investigation and later requested for the University to revoke the course. The University released a statement confirming it would suspend the course while also claiming the University’s college of medicine “acted as an accreditor through its Continuing Medical Education program…WSU did not create or provide these courses.” ^{7 8}

CME Course Financing

At universities, CME courses are partially financed by pharmaceutical companies. Critics argue the practice potentially allows private firms to have undue influence over American medical practice. Some schools, including Stanford University, have placed restrictions on private funding, including prohibiting companies from choosing which subjects or programs they support. ¹⁰

Leadership

Graham McMahon has worked as the president and CEO of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education since April 2015. McMahon also works as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and previously worked as a professor and dean at Harvard Medical School, as well as an editor at the New England Journal of Medicine. ¹¹

As of 2025, the ACCME’s “government representative” was Erica Scavella, who at that time was Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Scavella has worked at the VA since 1999, starting as a physician, and transferring to an administrative role in 2021 as a chief health risk officer. ^{12 13}

Financials

In 2023, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education reported $10,087,147 in revenue, expenses of $9,469,733, and $11,142,328 in year-end assets. ACCME’s revenue primarily comes from program services, including $9,732,630 in 2023. ¹⁴

1. Tulgan, Henry. “The Evolution of Continuing Medical Education in the United States.” Intech Open. January 16, 2024. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/89162.
2. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources.” ACCME. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://accme.org/educational-development/diversity-equity-inclusion/.
3. McMahon, Graham. “Evolution of Continuing Medical Education in the United States: Implications for the Legal Community.” JLE. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://jle.aals.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1811&context=home.
4. “The Value of Accredited CME.” ACCME. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://accme.org/about-accreditation/value-of-accreditation/.
5. McMahon, Graham. “Accredited Continuing Medical Education Delivers: Evidence of Value, Trust, and Impact Across the Healthcare System.” National Library of Medicine. November 2025. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12587789/.
6. “Countries Accepting ACCME-Accredited CME.” ACCME. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://accme.org/about-accreditation/countries-accepting-accme-accredited-cme/.
7. O’Neil, Tyler. “Transgender Activists Use Far-Left Smear Factory to Cancel Doctor Education Courses That Raise Doubts About ‘Gender-Affirming Care’.” The Daily Signal. November 9, 2025. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/11/09/transgender-activists-use-far-left-smear-factory-cancel-doctor-education-courses-raise-doubts-gender-affirming-care/.
8. S. Baum. “Washington State University Credentials Anti-Trans Hate Group SEGM to Teach Medical Providers.” Erin in the Morning. October 29, 2025. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/washington-state-university-credentials.
9. “Continuing Medical Education (CME).” SEGM. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://segm.org/cme25.
10. Guess, Andy. “Conflicts of Interest in Continuing Medical Education.” Inside Higher Ed. December 15, 2008. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/16/conflicts-interest-continuing-medical-education.
11. “Graham McMahon.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahammcmahon/.
12. “Leadership.” ACCME. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://accme.org/about-accme/leadership/.
13. “Erica Scavella.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-scavella-m-d-facp-fache-02704198/.
14. “Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/470941683/202432639349300408/full.