History secure in newly renamed center

BY SHERI PORTER

WEB EXTRA!

How can you participate?

Uhler stresses that the center is only as good as the material in it. You can help preserve the history of family medicine by donating items to the center.

Here are some ideas: Send brochures that describe your practice; photos of you with your patients; and pictures of your office furniture, equipment and decor. Send a copy of your office floor plan. Send your business card. "I'd love to see an exhibit of 93,000 business cards," says Uhler, referring to AAFP's 93,000-some members.

One word of advice -- refrain from presorting and let the expert decide. "After 25 years as an archivist, I have a good idea of what to keep," says Uhler. "Family physicians have an important tale to tell, and the materials they donate have more uses than people could possibly imagine."

Send items to Uhler at the Center for the History of Family Medicine, 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Leawood, KS 66211-2672.

Close your eyes and say the word "archives" aloud. Do images of musty, dusty old files pop into your head?

Probably so, and that is exactly why AAFP Foundation Archives Manager Sharron Uhler petitioned for a new name for the repository of historical records under her care.

The Center for the History of Family Medicine (formerly the Archives for Family Practice) announced its new name in November after approval from the center's board of curators and the AAFP Foundation Board of Trustees.

The new name is a much more accurate description, says Uhler. With nearly 3,000 square feet of storage space at the Academy's headquarters in Leawood, Kan., the center is part library, part museum, part historical collection and part archives. These functions are all rolled into one, and the objects are carefully preserved in a climate-controlled environment.

"Our purpose is to preserve the history of family medicine and to encourage research on that history," says Uhler.

The center is documenting the history of family medicine through the eyes of these seven family medicine organizations: AAFP, AAFP Foundation, American Board of Family Practice, Association of Departments of Family Medicine, Association of Family Practice Residency Directors, North American Primary Care Research Group and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

"It's important that family medicine be able to go back to its roots, pull up its history, see what can be learned and what can be taken forward into the future," says Uhler.

Uhler fields an average of 10 calls a week and invites historians, researchers and physicians to use the center as a resource. Recent callers include an Egyptian physician researching the history of medicine, AAFP constituent chapter executives looking for historical chapter information and an FP about to open his first office. The young physician was stymied about appropriate wall decor. Uhler pointed him to a source for old photographs and a Web site featuring Norman Rockwell prints.

Sharron Uhler shows off a doctor's bag, filled with instruments and vials of medicine, donated by FP Thomas Stern, M.D.

This velvet-lined box cradles a replica of the seal of the AAFP's forerunner, the American Academy of General Practice.

The shelves of historical materials lining the center's storage area dwarf Uhler. Colored notes remind her that the contents of some boxes still need to be cataloged.

In addition, physicians preparing presentations on family medicine often check with Uhler for resource material.

Everything under Uhler's care is handled with white gloves -- often literally -- and the utmost care. The storage area is packed with books, buttons, badges, bags, posters, photographs, medical instruments, hand-written patient logs, awards, videotapes, audio recordings and the office records of the seven family medicine organizations. (The next time you visit AAFP headquarters, check out the center's display off the main foyer.)

To Uhler, everything is a treasure. "Every time someone sends something, it's like filling in another piece of the puzzle of our history," she says.

Materials sent to Uhler are rarely discarded. If an item isn't appropriate for the center, Uhler looks for a good home for it, such as a library or historical society. As a last resort, she contacts the donor and offers to return the donation.

Recently, Uhler received 11 boxes -- 150 pounds of material -- from AAFP Past President John Tudor, M.D., of Salt Lake City. Tudor was president of the Academy in 1992 - 1993.

"My wife and I are preparing for a move to Cape Cod and it was 'up or out' time," says Tudor. "So I contacted the history center staff and they offered to take it all. It's pretty amazing that anyone would want my old notes. I hope they are useful."

To reach writer Sheri Porter, e-mail sporter@aafp.org.

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