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American Academy of Family
Physicians Foundation The AAFP Foundation maintains an International Fund that receives donations to support family practice activities worldwide. Currently, contributions to the International Fund are used to provide additional support to the Physicians With Heart projects. Up to $500 can be used to help cover the costs of shipping medical educational materials overseas each year. If you are interested in making a donation to the International Fund, contact AAFP Foundation staff Sandy Panther or Lori Foley. Contributions can also be accepted through a secure Web page at www.aafp.org/int or www.aafp.org/airlift. American Board of Family
Medicine (ABFM) Through reciprocity agreements, diplomates of the ABFP may be eligible to seek certification by the colleges listed below:
More information about the ABFP's reciprocity agreements can be found on the Internet at www.abfp.org/reciproc.htm or by contacting ABFP. Society of Teachers of Family
Medicine (STFM) -- International Committee The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) responds to the needs of family practice educators. Interested STFM members have the option of belonging to the International Committee. The purpose of the International Committee is to promote:
The main activities of the group are to provide opportunities for family medicine educators with professional interests related to our stated purpose to establish informal networks, and to arrange a forum for dissemination of related endeavors at the STFM Annual Spring Conference. STFM members wishing to belong to the International Committee should contact the current STFM International Committee Chair. General STFM Membership information can be found by contacting STFM directly: STFM World Organization of Family
Doctors (WONCA) The full name of WONCA is the World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians or the World Organization of Family Doctors for short. WONCA is made up of national colleges, academies, or organizations concerned with the academic aspects of general family practice. Beginning with 18 members in 1972, there are now 66 member organizations in 56 countries. There also are seven international organizations in collaborative relations with WONCA. In all, the total membership of the member organizations of WONCA is about 150,000 general practitioners/family physicians. The objective of WONCA is to improve the quality of life of the peoples of the world through fostering and maintaining high standards of care in general practice/family medicine by: providing a forum for exchange of knowledge and information between member organizations of general practitioners/family physicians, encouraging and supporting the development of academic organizations of general practitioners/family physicians, and representing the educational, research, and service provision activities of general practitioners/family physicians before other world organizations and forums concerned with health and medical care. In 1994, the WHO and WONCA collaborated for the first time and developed the working paper entitled Making Medical Practice and Education More Relevant to People's Needs: The Contribution of the Family Doctor. The document puts forth recommendations that a country can employ to develop systems of family practice and family practice education according to the needs of its people. The working paper is having a substantial, positive impact toward the development of the specialty worldwide. The AAFP has complementary copies of this document available in English, Spanish, and Russian. The AAFP is a member organization of WONCA and, as an active member, participates in its regional meetings held approximately every year and world meetings held every three years. The AAFP will host the WONCA World Conference in Orlando in 2004. Individuals can also be members of WONCA. Almost all direct members are physicians, but non-physicians are also eligible if they are entitled to membership in their respective WONCA member organization, which is the AAFP, STFM, or the ABFP for U.S. family physicians. The membership fee is $45 per year and includes the following benefits:
A direct member application can be obtained on WONCA's web site at www.wonca2004.org or by sending a request to AAFP International Activities. |