Inside AFP

Talented Illustrators Enhance the Appearance of AFP

joyce a. merriman

This art appeared on the cover of the September 1, 2006, issue of AFP. It was selected as the favorite cover in the past year in an informal contest at AAFP headquarters.

One of the things that distinguishes AFP from most other medical journals is the quality of our medical illustrations. It was what set AFP apart 60 years ago, and it continues to be an industry standard of which we are proud. For this, we're indebted to a special and very talented group of medical illustrators. These are the artists who add visual interest to AFP with their creative illustrations, most notably the cover artwork. In addition to cover art, many articles include figures when complex procedures or anatomy is better communicated through illustration than words. The art that accompanies many of our patient information handouts is tailored specifically for patients.

This group of artists, listed below, is led by Dave Klemm, a talented medical illustrator at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Dave works closely with the artists, the medical editing fellow, Editor Jay Siwek, MD, and the other medical editors to coordinate the development of various illustrations and to ensure their clinical and anatomic accuracy. This requires Dave and the other illustrators to have a thorough understanding of the many conditions discussed in AFP articles and often requires consultation with authors or the medical editors. Most of AFP's medical illustrators have extensive professional training and are board certified by the Association of Medical Illustrators.

In June of each year, the Publications Division staff at AAFP headquarters reviews all the cover illustrations from the previous year and votes for their favorite one. The winner is based on a number of criteria including topic, illustration style, visual appeal, and portrayal of the subject. They then frame the cover and place it on the "Wall of Fame" at AAFP headquarters. This year's winner is the September 1, 2006, issue: "Cirrhosis and Chronic Liver Failure," by Floyd Hosmer from Birmingham, Alabama. Well-deserved congratulations to Floyd!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the talented artists who have added so much graphic appeal to AFP during the past year.