Posted on 05.17.10 by Susan Hogeland, CAE 

CAFP concluded its 62^nd Annual Scientific Assembly on Sunday at the Grand Hyatt Union Square in San Francisco, the same hotel at which the 63^rd will take place on May 14 and 15 in 2011.  The 250 family physicians who attended seemed pretty happy about what they experienced; of course, the evaluations of the programs will tell the tale.  Those who spoke to me personally indicated they had their batteries recharged just by being among their fellow family physicians, hearing their questions, chatting with them during meals and breaks. 

Highlights of the meeting included the truly inspiring story of AAFP Board member Jeff Cain, MD who spoke Sunday afternoon about being on the other side of a stethoscope after a private plane he was piloting crashed.  Learning to re-calibrate life after the loss of both legs was a challenge he has met, finding new ways to pursue his love of snow and water skiing, among other sports.  He spoke movingly about how he relates to his patients now, especially those with physical challenges.

Terry McGeeney, MD, President of TransforMED and CAFP's own Len Fromer, MD provided hope of another type - hope about the future practice of family medicine as it fully transforms to patient centered care in the Patient Centered Medical Home.  Addressing the "tyranny of the urgent" through the smart application of technology and restoring the passion that family physicians bring to their practices are high on the agenda.  We heard from past president Carla Kakutani, MD and lobbyist Tom Riley about the hope the new health care reform legislation brings to family medicine and primary care - higher payments through Medicare, support of technology transformation and support of the Patient Centered Medical Home are just a few of the provisions that lent optimism to their discussion.

But perhaps the most inspiring part of the weekend was Friday evening's Celebration Dinner at which some of family medicine's outstanding members were honored for their service to the specialty.  Cecilia Gutierrez, MD, of the UC San Diego Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, received the 2010 Award for Educational Excellence.  Dr. Guttierez said "As we teach, we need to always remember what it means to be a student, and the best way to do that is to remain humble students ourselves." 

Past President Eric Ramos brought many of us to tears when he was honored as Family Physician of the Year and shared the honor with his entire practice team - Jesusita Diaz, Ulicess Gonzalez and Nora Lohman - and his wife, Judy, whom he described as his best friend, partner and love of his life. 

But just when we thought it couldn't get any more touching or impressive, two more awards were given:  2010 Family Medicine Researcher of the Year went to Derjung Mimi Tarn, an assistant clinical professor of family medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, who does research on physician-patient communication, focusing on patients' understanding of how to take medications.   In a video clip from "House," Dr. Tarn drove home her point when a patient was shown using an asthma inhaler like a perfume spray - it brought down our "house." 

The second award was given to Veronica Jordan, MD, a third year resident at Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Program.  Dr. Jordan was honored as Resident Family Physician of the Year, and what a wonderful story this young woman has.  Talk about giving us hope for the future of family medicine:  she was chief resident during her second year of residency and is described as a natural born leader.  She holds masters degrees in health and medical sciences from UC Berkeley, spent two years teaching and organizing small, rural communities in Ecuador and led demonstrations in her own community to advocate for health care reform.  

The entire CAFP staff was in attendance and heard the back stories for these presentations - as I told those assembled, what a fabulous introduction to family medicine and the Academy for our new staff members.  It's a wonderful reminder, too, for those of us who've been with the Academy a while, about why we do what we do, for the wonderful people and patients for whom we do it. 

Thanks for the honor.