title: e-Professionalism: a new frontier in medical education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This article, prepared by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Undergraduate Medical Education Committee, discusses the evolving challenges facing medical educators posed by social media and a new form of professionalism that has been termed e-professionalism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  E-professionalism is defined as the attitudes and behaviors that reflect traditional professionalism paradigms but are manifested through digital media. One of the major functions of medical education is professional identity formation; e-professionalism is an essential and increasingly important element of professional identity formation, because the consequences of violations of e-professionalism have escalated from academic sanctions to revocation of licensure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  E-professionalism should be included in the definition, teaching, and evaluation of medical professionalism. Curricula should include a positive approach for the proper professional use of social media for learners.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, OB/GYN, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131, USA. josephkac@pcom.edu
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kaczmarczyk
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dugoff
authors.forename: Jodi F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.forename: Amie J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Cullimore
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dalrymple
authors.forename: Katrina R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Nancy A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hueppchen
authors.forename: Nadine T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Francis S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Nuthalapaty
authors.forename: Archana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Petra M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Casey
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical; D004995:Ethics, Professional; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016134:Organizational Policy; D061108:Social Media; D060756:Social Networking