|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
Committee Reports |
All Committee ReportsCommunications Committee Report
Some highlights of the committee’s work include: Family Medicine The journal has cultivated its niche as the scholarly journal for family medicine education topics, and it is increasingly recognized in national and international circles. Current and archived full-text journal articles, along with advertising information and instructions for authors, are available on the public side of our Web site, www.stfm.org, offering better distribution and recognition of our members’ scholarly works. Family Medicine on-line continues to be one of the most-visited pages of the STFM Web site. Awards STFM Bookstore Electronic Communications STFM recently received a National Library of Medicine grant to create a Family Medicine Digital Resource Library (FMDRL). This library will include curriculum materials from all levels of family medicine education: preclinical, clinical, predoctoral, residency, and faculty development. Since curricular materials at several levels are clinically useful documents, a secondary goal of the FMDRL will be to build the system in a manner that enables its use as a clinical resource by family physicians for “just in time” lookup of clinical information at or near the point of care. The Communications Committee will monitor the progress of this grant and work with STFM groups to become involved with this exciting project. The STFM electronic preceptor newsletter, The Teaching Physician, continues to be popular; more than 90 subscriptions have been purchased by departments and residency programs. Each subscription has the ability to touch hundreds of preceptors throughout the nation, ensuring great communication to this important segment of family medicine educators. We thank our volunteer editors of this newsletter: Caryl Heaton, DO; Richard Usatine, MD; Alec Chessman, MD, and Mark Ebell, MD, MS, for their dedicated service to this valuable resource. For more information about this newsletter, visit www.stfm.org/teachingphysician/index.htm. Monograph Review Jacob Reider, MD, Chair Communications Committee Jacob Reider, MD, Chair Thomas Agresta, MD Y. Monique Davis-Smith, MD Antonnette Graham, PhD Judith Gravdal MD Lucille Marchand, BSN, MD Anne Musser, DO David Quillen, MD EX OFFICIO: STFM Staff Liaison
Predoctoral Education Conference NBME Collaboration Faculty Development Faculty Development Series Workshops Academic Track I want to thank all of the members of the Education Committee for their dedicated and creative contributions to the committee and to STFM. It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the chair of this outstanding committee for the last 4 years. William Shore, MD, Chair Education Committee William Shore, MD, Chair Jason Chao, MD, MS Heidi Chumley, MD John Delzell, MD, MSPH Andrea Manyon, MD Ann O’Brien-Gonzales, PhD Gregory Smith, MD Harry Strothers III, MD Liaisons to Education Committee Nykki Boersma AAFP COE Liaison 2005 Predoctoral Education Conference Chair 2005 Predoctoral Education Conference Cochair STFM Staff Liaison Legislative Affairs Committee Report
Graduate Medical Education However, the 108th Congress had adjourned before the OIG report was released and could not act on any of the recommendations of the OIG. Currently, there are hospitals that are being audited by CMS and are being asked for money back in the case when IME or DME dollars were paid to hospitals for residents’ time spent with volunteer preceptors. We expect that renewal of this moratorium and passage of legislation to prevent this practice in the future will be our major Medicare activity for the coming year. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Olympia Snow (R-ME) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) have been our strongest advocates in the Senate for this change. Representatives Kenny Hulshof (R-MO), Greg Walden (R-OR), Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), and John Tanner (D-TN) have been our key supporters in the House. We need to work to get increased support for them in their efforts to resolve this issue. Another key issue facing CMS and Congress this year is the Medicare Sustained Growth Rate (SGR), which affects physician payment; the countervailing pressure is that if Congress opens up Medicare due to requirements to find budget savings, there are other areas that would be at risk that are of concern to academic family medicine, such as the IME update factor. Appropriations The president released his FY06 budget and, as expected, Title VII was zeroed out. We will have another uphill battle to secure funding for FY06 and, according to many on the Hill, an equal amount of spending in next year’s budget should be considered a “win.” Similarly, rural programs were recommended to be cut to $29 million from $144 million in FY05, and AHRQ funding was kept at current levels. I urge each of you to continue the advocacy efforts that have kept Title VII, Section 747, rural health, and AHRQ research programs funded each year so that we can continue to educate future family physicians to meet the needs of our population. Title VII Reauthorization Advocacy Efforts Future Efforts As Legislative Affairs Committee chair, I would like to thank the members of the STFM Legislative Affairs Committee: Kathleen Elsberry, MD; Dan Lasser, MD; Mike Meharry, MD; Sam Romano, PhD; Osman Sanyer, MD; Rick Streiffer, MD; and Mack Worthington, MD. Their hard work and dedication to the Society make chairing the committee a pleasure. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of our Washington, DC, staff. Hope Wittenberg, MA, government relations director, is an essential player in ensuring that the voice of academic family medicine is heard on the Hill. We also want to acknowledge the work of Kerri Connor-Wade, who left our office to begin a new adventure in Washington, DC, and to welcome Leah Cohen, our new government relations assistant. I also want to thank each of you, as members of STFM, for your personal advocacy efforts and ask that you continue this work to advance the efforts of our Society. Terence Steyer, MD, Chair Legislative Affairs Committee Terrence Steyer, MD, Chair Kathleen Ellsbury, MD, MSPH Dan Lasser, MD, MPH Michael Maharry, MD Samuel Romano, PhD Osman Sanyer, MD Rick Streiffer, MD J. Mack Worthington, MD STFM Staff Liaison Membership Committee Report
The Membership Committee continues to survey former members who did not renew their STFM membership. The most commonly given answers to nonrenewal remain: leaving academic medicine, decreasing funds for membership, and disagreement with STFM policies and perceived direction. Most of STFM’s current retention is due to the intense loyalty among members, the energizing effects of networking, exposure to new and innovative ideas and programs, and the unceasing efforts of staff. This year, staff contacted by phone every nonrenewing member. STFM is indeed fortunate to have such phenomenal staff. New focuses for the Membership Committee this year and in the future are more-intense efforts to recruit osteopathic teachers of family medicine, military teachers of family medicine, and faculty of community residency programs. These groups of teachers of family medicine can offer STFM tremendous resources, and STFM has tremendous resources to offer them. STFM is establishing relationships with osteopathic national organizations such as ACOFP (American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians) to acknowledge the successes of DO medical schools in recruiting high percentages of students into family medicine, develop mechanisms to offer osteopathic CME credits for STFM conferences, and collaborate on educational ventures. Articles for the STFM Messenger and Annals of Family Medicine are being prepared by members of the Membership Committee to educate membership and solicit suggestions about these recruitment efforts. The Membership Committee continues to offer a new member/first-time attendee orientation at the STFM Annual Spring Conference. Feedback from attendees of this orientation continues to be very positive. Two new members joined the Membership Committee this year—Charles Henley, DO, MPH, from the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, and Karl Miller, MD, from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. They have already proven to be invaluable resources by their creative ideas, practical thinking, and strong work ethic. Members beginning their second 2-year term on the committee this year include: Kicki Searfus, MD, from the University of California-San Diego; Jeff Morzinski, PhD, MSW, from the Medical College of Wisconsin; Elizabeth Steiner, MD, from Portland, Ore; Sim Galazka, MD, from the University of Virginia; and Letitia Hazel, MD, from Raleigh, NC. These members have displayed outstanding dedication to STFM and its members. The Membership Committee could not function as well as it does without the unceasing efforts of Mary Ruhl, STFM membership coordinator. The committee thanks her for her diligence and perseverance on the members’ behalf. You too can be an active recruiter for STFM. If every current STFM member recruited one new member, this wonderful organization would double in size. Please tell your fellow faculty and staff about the opportunities (and fun) associated with STFM membership. Rick Ricer, MD, Chair Membership Committee Rick Ricer, MD, Chair Sim Galazka, MD Letitia Hazel, MD Charles Henley, DO, MPH Karl Miller, MD Jeffrey Morzinski, PhD, MSW Kirsten Searfus, MD Elizabeth Steiner, MD STFM Staff Liaison Program Committee Report
The theme of the Annual Spring Conference is “Conflict, Collaboration, and Resolution: Family Medicine Education in the 21st Century.” You will find many elements of the strategic plan for STFM and the Future of Family Medicine Project offered throughout this year’s program to make sure that the STFM membership is up to date on current events in family medicine and educated about the future direction of the Society. The number of presentations, almost 400 this year, was a near record high, providing the wonderful opportunity to offer educational presentations for everyone, no matter where you are in your career path. The conference program highlights tracks for senior faculty, preceptors, residents, and students. Abstracts for all presentations can be found on the STFM Web site, www.stfm.org. As attendees arrive at the New Orleans Marriott, they can take advantage of the different format offered on Saturday, April 30, with several preconference workshops—new faculty and community preceptors can enroll for the “Teaching and Learning Skills” Faculty Development Workshop I; mid-level faculty/preceptors wishing to work on career development can attend Faculty Development Workshop V, “Career Development for Clinician Educators.” Those members interested in participating in a full-day workshop on one of the FFM initiatives won’t want to miss “Developing FFM New Model Practices in Residencies: Learning From Experience.” The STFM Group on Women, and jointly the Groups on Physician-Patient Interaction and Evidence-based Medicine, will offer preconference meetings “Celebrating Women in Family Medicine” and “Integrating Patient-centered Care and Evidence-based Medicine,” respectively, showcasing the contributions of the STFM groups’ activities vital to the growth of STFM as an organization. The New Attendee Orientation on Saturday evening has activities planned to ease the transition of newcomers with networking opportunities and will open the “flood gates” of a warm Society welcome, a trademark of STFM. This year’s plenary sessions reflect a breadth of topics relevant to family medicine educators today. Opening the meeting on Sunday is Melanie Tervalon, MD, MPH, director of education at the Center for Excellence in Nutritional Genomics, speaking on “Cultural Humility in the Era of Cultural Competence.” Joseph Scherger, MD, MPH, University of California, San Diego, STFM past president and a stalwart in family medicine, will present the Blanchard Memorial Lecture addressing the Future of Family Medicine report—“The End of the Beginning: The Redesign Imperative in Family Medicine.” The 2005 research plenary will be presented by Ron Epstein, MD, from the University of Rochester—“What Can Findings From Practice-based Research Contribute to the Training of Physicians?” Closing this year’s conference is Martha Medrano, MD, MPH, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, addressing the importance of relationship building in her presentation titled “What I Learned About Collaboration, I Learned in Kindergarten.” The plenaries are sure to invite thought and discussion. Congratulations to the 2005 Conference Program Committee: Karen Connell, MS, Drs. Sam Cullison, Craig Gjerde, Susan Hadley, Patricia Lebensohn, Jim Tysinger, and Steven Wilson for their ability to stay on task and make sure that this program is successful. We owe a debt of gratitude to the assistance of outside reviewers who give of their time and perspective to the review and planning process: Drs. Alison Dobbie, Peter Cantinella, David Quillen, Jacob Reider, Harry Strothers, as well as the STFM Research and Membership Committees. Finally to the STFM staff for all of their hard work, with special acknowledgement to Ray Rosetta, CMP, STFM meetings and programs director. Finally, laissez-le bon temps rouléz and have a great time! Crystal Cash, MD, Chair Program Committee Karen Connell, MS Craig Gjerde, PhD Susan Hadley MD Patricia Lebensohn, MD James Tysinger, PhD Stephen Wilson, MD STFM Staff Liaison Research Committee Report
The Annual Spring Conference also provides an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of family medicine researchers. The committee reviews all original research papers published by STFM members over the preceding academic year for selection of a Best Paper Award. Papers are nominated by STFM members or identified in an extensive literature search. This year, 26 papers were nominated for final consideration of the award, and the final selection was completed in January 2005. Charles Mouton, MD, of Howard University, is the recipient of this year’s award. The winning paper, “Prevalence and 3-year Incidence of Abuse Among Postmenopausal Women,” Am J Public Health 2004;94:605-12, received high marks from the Research Committee for its research question, analytic methods, writing quality, and relevance to family medicine. Dr Mouton will have the opportunity to present this paper at the Annual Spring Conference at the same session where our 2005 Curtis G. Hames Research Award winner will speak. This year’s Hames Award Winner, Allen Dietrich, MD, is being recognized for his contributions to advancing the science of our discipline. It will be a bittersweet presentation as we mourn the passing of Dr Hames earlier this year. The presentations by the Hames Award winner and the STFM Best Paper Award winner are among the highlights of the annual meeting, along with the research-themed plenary session. In New Orleans this year, the research plenary address will be delivered by Ron Epstein, MD, of the University of Rochester. Titled “What Can Findings From Practice-based Research Contribute to the Training of Physicians,” Dr Epstein will address how practice-based research could guide the process of medical education and assessment of clinician performance and will link these research agendas to the themes outlined in the Future of Family Medicine project. The Research Committee also actively monitors changes and opportunities on multiple levels that affect family medicine research. The chair of the committee serves as STFM representative to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Commission on Clinical Policies and Research, the Association of Family Medicine Organizations Research Subcommittee, and the Board of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG). A member of the committee also serves as the STFM liaison to the Family Physicians’ Inquiries Network. Actions that impact family medicine research are reported back to the Research Committee and discussed, with recommendations and reports to the STFM Board of Directors when appropriate. Another effort from STFM to promote family medicine research has been its continued partnership with AAFP, ABFP, AFPRD, and NAPCRG to support the new research journal for our discipline, the Annals of Family Medicine. We continue to value this journal’s contribution to the scientific advancement of our specialty, and we hope that STFM members will continue their submission of manuscripts and their active readership. As chair of the committee, I would like to thank the committee members and
staff liaison Kay Frank for their hard work and dedication to this committee
and to STFM. Research Committee Erik Lindbloom, MD, MSPH, Chair Michael Crouch, MD, MSPH Carlos Jaen, MD, PhD Evelyn Lewis & Clark, MD, MA Caroline Richardson, MD Peter Smith, MD Gregory Strayhorn, MD, PhD Sonja Harris-Haywood, MD, Fellow Representative STFM Staff Liaison International Committee ReportThe International Committee is a special committee of STFM whose mission is (1) to promote the understanding and teaching of family medicine throughout the world, (2) to promote the training of family physicians able to address health care needs in their communities, and (3) to promote the spirit of international cooperation for the mutual development of all participants. The International Committee membership consists of STFM faculty with expertise and interest in the development of family medicine around the world. Committee members work to foster mutual learning by encouraging exchange among teachers of family medicine, work to strengthen family and community medicine teaching throughout the world, and are involved in the development and distribution of culturally sensitive family medicine undergraduate and graduate curricula and teaching methodology. Activities of the International Committee over the past year have included:
Special thanks to all the STFM International Committee members who have made these efforts possible. Chip Hixon, MD, Chair International Committee Immediate Past Chair: Jeannette South-Paul, MD, Board Liaison Steering Committee: |
I would first like to begin this report by giving praise to the Communications
Committee that has so wonderfully served the Society: returning members Judith
Gravdal, MD, and David Quillen, MD; and new members Lucille Marchand, BSN,
MD; Antonnette Graham, PhD; Anne Musser, DO; Monique Davis-Smith, MD; and Tom
Agresta, MD. All are hardworking and insightful individuals who continuously
help meet the committee’s responsibilities to the Society. Their dedicated
service and great insight can be seen in the many communications services offered
by the Society.
The Education Committee has been active and productive this year. Our energetic
committee continues to be involved in many areas of family medicine education
and represents a breadth of knowledge and expertise.
This year has been one of change for the Legislative Affairs Committee with
the election of a new Congress and the reelection of the president of the United
States. Yet, as the old adage goes, “As much as things change, they stay
the same.” The major issues facing this committee at the beginning of
the year were graduate medical education issues, Title VII appropriations,
Title VII reauthorization, and strategies to encourage our members to serve
as advocates for academic family medicine. As the year draws to a close, these
issues still remain paramount to the Legislative Affairs Committee and to STFM
as a whole. Following are some details on these important issues:
The Membership Committee has two main functions—membership retention
and satisfaction and new membership recruitment. The committee met formally
three times in the last year: May in Toronto at the Annual Spring Conference,
October in Chicago at the Behavioral Science Forum, and January in Albuquerque
at the Predoctoral Education Conference.
Bienvenue á Nouvelle Orléans. The Program Committee welcomes
everyone to New Orleans. The excitement of the Jazz Festival and the French
Quarter are spilling over into the conference. 
The STFM Research Committee is responsible for promoting and facilitating
research among the members of STFM and in the discipline as a whole. As part
of the Annual Spring Conference, the Research Committee coordinates 12 90-minute
Research Forums and a Research Poster Fair (including completed projects and
Best Paper Award winners). For the 2005 Annual Spring Conference, we accepted
two submissions for Distinguished Paper presentations, 36 research forum podium
presentations, 22 posters, and 21 fellows’ works in progress. The committee
also devotes meeting time each year for capacity-building sessions on important
topics for the STFM membership. At the 2005 Annual Spring Conference, we plan
to have a 90-minute session titled “Polishing Your STFM Research Submissions,” in
which we will give small-group feedback for individual proposals.