2004 Wonca conference promises world of opportunities

Francis Collins, M.D., Ph. D.

If you haven't yet visited the Web site for the World Organization of Family Doctors, or Wonca, 17th World Conference of Family Doctors, you're missing out on a world of opportunities!

To be held in conjunction with the AAFP Scientific Assembly Oct. 13 17 in Orlando, Fla., the Wonca conference offers hundreds of educational sessions, informative product exhibits and entertaining social events, allowing you to meet and talk with family medicine colleagues from around the globe in a variety of venues.

For a taste of what the joint meeting's all about, go to http://www.wonca2004.org, scroll down the page, and click on "Wonca 2004 Promotion Video." The video gives an overview of the meeting and highlights the host city of Orlando. (RealOne^TM Player is required to watch the video. The site contains links allowing you to download the software for free.)

Wonca Always a focal point of the Academy's annual Assembly, this year's open ing ceremony on Oct. 13 features keynote speaker Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute. A renowned physician/geneticist, Collins oversees the multidisciplinary team that last April completed the complex project of mapping and sequencing the entire human genome and that continues to investigate various aspects of human DNA function. He will share insights from that project and discuss its implications for family medicine worldwide.

The conference also offers another type of opportunity: the chance for U.S. physicians to host a Wonca attendee. There are lots of ways to do this.

If you live in the Orlando area, for example, consider opening your home to an international guest. Other possible hosting ideas:

Correspond with a Wonca attendee via e-mail before or after the conference.
Arrange to meet an attendee for a specific social event, tour of the AAFP/Wonca Exposition or cup of coffee during the conference.
Invite a Wonca guest to visit your practice, medical school or residency program before or after the meeting. Numerous Wonca members have already indicated they'd relish a firsthand look at a U.S. academic health center.

More information about the hosting program is at http://www.aafp.org/x19913.xml. If you decide to participate, complete a brief questionnaire at http://members.aafp.org/members/surv7/woncahost.htm. The questionnaire allows AAFP staff to match Wonca visitors seeking a particular experience or interaction with appropriate U.S. hosts.

Wonca members have already been mailed a registration brochure, and online registration for the joint meeting should be up and running by the first of March. So clear your schedule and stay tuned!

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