About the American Academy of Family Physicians

As the national professional association for family physicians, the Leawood, Kan.-based American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) represents 110,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. Founded in 1947, the AAFP is supported by constituent chapters throughout the country as well as chapters representing Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia and the Uniformed Services. The Academy is governed by a Congress of Delegates, which is composed of two delegates from each of the 55 constituent chapters as well as from resident and student groups, and the minority and new physician constituencies. A board of directors and a slate of elected officers oversee the work of AAFP commissions and committees.

Family medicine was the first medical specialty to require its physicians to pursue continuing medical education (CME). A primary responsibility of the AAFP is to develop and provide its members with CME programs aimed at ensuring family physicians remain educated on the latest medical technologies, treatments and techniques. To maintain active membership in the Academy, the AAFP requires members to earn 150 credits of CME every three years. Family physicians also can pursue fellowships and Certificates of Added Qualification in areas such as sports medicine, geriatrics and adolescent medicine.

To advance the discipline and provide resources for its members, the AAFP publishes several family medicine publications, including the clinical journal, American Family Physician, and the practice management journal, Family Practice Management. The AAFP's commitment to new research in the field of family medicine is evidenced by its sponsorship of Annals of Family Medicine, a bi-monthly, peer-reviewed research journal dedicated to the advancement of health and the primary care knowledge base. The first edition of Annals was published May/June 2003. The journal is sponsored by six major family medical organizations, including the AAFP.

To facilitate communication with its members and with patients, the AAFP also operates two websites, aafp.org and familydoctor.org. aafp.org, the Academy's physician-focused website, provides resources for members and physicians, including the full text of the Academy's publications. The award-winning patient website, familydoctor.org, features searchable, easy-to-understand information on more than 475 medical conditions and illnesses, population health centers, Spanish language content, a drug database and self-diagnosis flow-charts.

To support its advocacy efforts, the AAFP maintains a Government Relations office in Washington, D.C., for liaison with Congress and the federal government.