For all of you who were unable to make it to CMEpalooza Trivia night at the Alliance Industry Summit earlier this week (sponsored by AcademicCME):

1. 1. You missed out
   2. You’re in luck

Below are all 25 questions from Trivia Night with an answer key at the end, so you can play along at home. As a bonus, here is the Spotify playlist we used, with a song for each question. You can play it while answering the questions, and it will almost be like you were there, other than missing my witty banter and Scott’s lame jokes. (note from Scott: Your banter wasn’t that witty. I will reserve judgment on the quality of my jokes) (follow-up note from Derek: Scott’s lame jokes are below. You be the judge.)

Lame Joke #1: How did the 3rd grade English teacher console her crying student?

There, their, they’re

Lame Joke #2: Sad news. I broke up with Lorraine to pursue a relationship with Claire Lee.

Good news. I can see Claire Lee now Lorraine is gone.

Lame Joke #3: Fever is at the top of the list for worst side effects to many medications.

Constipation is a solid number two.

Lame Joke #4: How do you tell how heavy a chili pepper is?

Put it on a scale and give it a weigh give it a weigh give it a weigh now.

Lame Joke #5: Our town legalized pot but banned alcohol.

Residents were left high and dry.

Group #1: AIS

1. In June 2026, Nature published an editorial entitled “The future of science communication is not an article like this” that corresponded with its entry onto what social media platform?

a. Facebook
b. Instagram
c. YouTube
d. TikTok

2. In Dr. Stephen Krieger’s topographical model of multiple sclerosis (MS), what does the shallow end represent?

a. Cerebral hemispheres
b. Spinal cord and optic nerves
c. Brainstem and cerebellum
d. Neurologic functional capacity

3. Boston University is commonly referred to as what type of institution?

a. Safety net hospital
b. Critical access hospital
c. Community hospital
d. Specialty hospital

4. In the House Appropriations Committee’s FY 2027 Labor HHS bill, dedicated report language was included to encourage HHS to support accredited providers in developing, disseminating, and evaluating what type of independent, evidence-based education?

a. Opioid-reduction CME
b. Quality improvement CME
c. Nutrition CME
d. Vaccine safety CME

5. Which future U.S. President was born in New York City?

a. Woodrow Wilson
b. Millard Fillmore
c. Theodore Roosevelt
d. Richard Nixon

Group #2: Almanac

6. In 2025, the first of six articles was published in the Almanac describing the foundation of evidence and thinking that served as catalyst for the development and evolution of the ALET™ Blueprint. What does ALET stand for?

a. Administration of Leaders Embracing Technology
b. Applied Learning and Evidence Translation
c. Adjusting Lifelong Educational Training
d. American League Expansion Team

7. A July 2026 Almanac article reviewed the results of the most recent Alliance survey on generative AI use in CME/CPD from 2025. According to this survey, in which work area is AI most commonly used by CME professionals?

a. Accreditation and compliance
b. Learner data and outcomes
c. Educational research
d. Content creation

8. Described in a March 2026 Almanac article, which organization’s Navigating the Life Cycle of Viable and Surface Air Samples activity also won the Alliance’s Excellence in Educational Design award?

a. University of Minnesota
b. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
c. Med Learning Group
d. California Academy of Family Physicians

9. A May 2026 Almanac article focused on a deep dive into which experiential learning simulation designed to teach learners what it feels like to enter an unfamiliar culture?

a. BaFa BaFa
b. Barnga
c. Heelotia
d. Ecotonos

10. Why is New York City called “The Big Apple”?

a. Because it was deemed the “core” city of the United States in the 1876 World’s Fair
b. It was a term used to describe the city’s horse racetracks in the 1920s
c. An advertising executive coined the phrase to promote the city in a 1953 marketing campaign
d. Bing Crosby wrote a chart-topping song in 1947 called, “New York: My Big Apple”

Group #3: AcademicCME (Huge thank you to our trivia sponsor!)

11. AcademicCME is a jointly accredited provider, which includes accreditation from all of these organizations except:

a. ACCME
b. ANCC
c. AAFP
d. ACPE

12. Patrick Hayes (Director, Education Development and Outcomes) let Scott park his car on his lawn while attending which major sporting event in the Philadelphia region this past May?

a. World Cup
b. PGA Championship
c. MLB All-Star Game
d. First Annual CMEpalooza Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament

13. The mailing address for AcademicCME is in this U.S. city:

a. Tampa
b. NYC
c. Atlanta
d. Philadelphia

14. Who was President when Tim Hayes was born?

a. Lyndon Johnson
b. Calvin Coolidge
c. Harry Truman
d. Dwight Eisenhower

15. Tim and Patrick Hayes’s favorite sports team is the Philadelphia Eagles. Which New York football team has played in the same number of Super Bowls as the Eagles?

a. New York Jets
b. New York Giants
c. Buffalo Bills
d. Albany Anteaters

Group #4: ACCME

16. Graham McMahon has been President & CEO of the ACCME for how many years?

a. 1-5
b. 6-10
c. 11-15
d. 16-20

17. Which of the following organizations is NOT eligible to be accredited in the ACCME system?

a. Blood banks
b. Electronic health records companies
c. Health law firms
d. Pharmacy benefit managers

18. How many ACCME Levels of Accreditation are there?

a. 3
b. 5
c. 7
d. 9

19. Which of the following countries does NOT accept ACCME-accredited CME?

a. England
b. Israel
c. Bhutan
d. Sri Lanka

20. Which of the five NYC boroughs is the largest by population?

a. Brooklyn
b. The Bronx
c. Manhattan
d. Queens
e. Staten Island

Group #5: CME Wildcard

21. Who is currently the Vice President of the Alliance?

a. R. Michelle Tyner Skidmore
b. Andy Crim
c. Chanise Reese-Queen
d. Riaz Baxamusa

22. According to the 2025 ACCME Annual Report, what is the SECOND highest source of revenue (total dollars) for accredited CME providers?

a. Registration Fees
b. Commercial Support
c. Advertising/Exhibit Income
d. Private Donations
e. Government Grants

23. On March 20, 2014, who was the first speaker at the first CMEpalooza?

a. Brian McGowan
b. Karen Roy
c. John Ruggiero
d. Beth Brillinger

24. Which of the following companies is a 2026 Platinum Sponsor of AIS?

a. AcademicCME
b. Daiichi-Sankyo
c. Genmab
d. Otsuka

25. Which of the following movies was NOT filmed in NYC?

a. Ghostbusters
b. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
c. The Fugitive
d. When Harry Met Sally

Answer Key

1. d. TikTok
2. b. Spinal cord and optic nerves
3. a. Safety net hospital
4. c. Nutrition CME
5. c. Theodore Roosevelt

6. b. Applied Learning and Evidence Translation
7. c. Educational research
8. b. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
9. a. BaFa BaFa
10. b. It was a term used to describe the city’s horse racetracks in the 1920s

11. c. AAFP
12. b. PGA Championship
13. a. Tampa
14. d. Dwight Eisenhower
15. b. New York Giants

16. c. 11-15
17. d. Pharmacy benefit managers
18. b. 5
19. a. England
20. a. Brooklyn

21. b. Andy Crim
22. c. Advertising/Exhibit Income
23. a. Brian McGowan
24. d. Otsuka
25. c. The Fugitive

We are now only five days away from the first day of the Alliance Industry Summit (AIS), which means, even more importantly, we are now only five days away from CMEpalooza Trivia Night. I’m sure all of you who are attending AIS already have it highlighted and underlined on your calendars, but just in case there is anyone still on the fence about it, here are the Top Five Reasons You Should Attend CMEpalooza Trivia Night:

5. You will miss out if you don’t go, but you won’t miss anything if you do go. CMEpalooza Trivia Night will run from 6-7:30 pm ET on Monday, September 14, which fits in nicely between the AIS evening reception (5-6 pm) and your dinner reservations (sometime after 7:30 pm). I know there are some of you out there who prefer to eat early (some of you very early – I won’t name names, but you know who you are) but, c’mon, this is NYC! This is the city that never sleeps! No one is eating dinner before 8 pm. In fact, if you make a reservation at a restaurant in NYC before 8 pm, the restaurant staff will laugh in your face when you show up. It’s true! (note: It’s not true. What is true is that one of the great things about being in NYC is that there are plenty of late-night dining options available. It’s more than just a slice of pizza from Sbarro or takeout Chinese food.)

4. There will be snacks and refreshments available. OK, fine, yes, maybe 8 pm is a long time for some of you to wait to eat between lunch and dinner, but good news, we’ve got you covered! As with every other CMEpalooza Trivia Night that we have hosted, there will be free snacks and drinks provided. Yay! Do I know what those snacks and drinks will be? No! Will there be those little mini pigs in a blanket? Maybe! Will there be Bugles (everyone loves Bugles)? I don’t know, but probably not! All I can tell you is that there will absolutely positively be some sort of snacks and refreshments provided that you won’t have to pay for. Still seems like a good deal to me.

3. You can win prizes! And by prizes, I mean money. And by money, I mean cash. Cold hard cash. Scott usually dresses up in a top hat and tails like Mr. Pennybags from Monopoly and dispenses large stacks of cash to the winners while twirling his mustache and saying things like, “I say, old chum, you have absconded with all my greenbacks. How shall I ever pay for my dinner with Misters Carnegie and Rockefeller?” (note: Alas, most of that isn’t true either, though it did make me snort with laughter thinking about it. Except for the part about cash prizes. That part is true.)

2. You might learn something. Actually, I guarantee that you will learn something. Will that something that you learn be useful? Maybe. I suppose that depends on your definition of “useful.” At last year’s CMEpalooza Trivia Night, many people learned that Bruce Springsteen sang the lyric “Well, they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night.” Is that useful information? I’d argue yes. You never know when you might be at a cocktail party, sipping on a dirty martini, and one of the other guests asks you, “Excuse me. I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but would you perchance know where and/or when they blew up the Chicken Man?” Imagine the knowing smile you will be able to give then.

Also, we will have questions about CME stuff. Whatever.

1. It’s fun! (note: It is!)

Because CMEpalooza was, is, and always will be an event free to any and all who want to partake in our events, it has typically been considered to be “education for the masses.”

Certainly, among the primary intents of our approach has been to educate those who are unable to take advantage — be it for financial, logistical, or other reasons — of the live educational opportunities that often pop up in the CME calendar. Every now and then, we’ll hear from organizations who coordinate special “CMEpalooza Days” to encourage their teams to watch our sessions, either together in conference rooms or individually from the comfort of their homes. Traditionally, we read these stories as “That’s kinda neat” anecdotes, but we never considered doing anything more with them.

But during our exhausting multiday planning meeting for our upcoming Fall event, we talked about collecting some of these stories to share with the CME broader community. Why? Certainly, shameless marketing and to give us fodder for future blog posts, but also to encourage you to think creatively about ways you might be able to make Palooza day a time of internal collaboration for everyone on your team.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be using this space to highlight some of the organizations who have made Palooza day into something special for their team. Some folks keep it simple; some are more thoughtful and comprehensive. Maybe you’ll like what these folks are doing. Maybe you’ll think it’s all a bit silly. You do you.

If your organization does something special for your team on our live CMEpalooza days that you’d like to share, please let us know via email (click here for Derek’s email — he likes hearing from strangers. Be sure to write him many paragraphs about the latest book you are reading). I bet he’ll even agree to feature your group in one of our short video interviews.