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THE ANNALS OF FAMILY MEDICINE ANNOUNCES EDITORS

Journal Will Support a Primary Care Learning Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 26, 2002

Contact:
Janelle Davis
American Academy of Family Physicians
(800) 274-2237 Ext. 5222
jdavis@aafp.org

LEAWOOD, Kan. — Kurt C. Stange, M.D., PhD., a family physician and epidemiologist in Cleveland, has been named the new editor of The Annals of Family Medicine. The Annals is a new journal that will publish original primary care research. William R. Phillips, M.D., M.P.H., a family physician from Seattle, has been named the new senior associate editor.

Six family medicine organizations have joined to publish this new peer-reviewed research journal: the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Board of Family Practice (ABFP), the Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM), the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors (AFPRD), the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM).

The Annals aims to foster a basic and applied science of generalist practice. It will include clinical, biomedical, social and health services research, and articles on methodology and theory.

Stange is professor of family medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics, oncology and sociology at Case Western Reserve University. He also serves as an associate director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University. Stange directs the Center for Research in Family Practice and Primary Care, one of three research centers funded by the AAFP.

“The family practice communities have come together to respond to the need for new knowledge to understand and enhance the generalist function in health care. The Annals will support a learning community of those who generate and those who use information about health and primary health care,” Stange said.

Phillips is clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. He has served as president of NAPCRG, and as chair of the Commission on Clinical Policies and Research for the AAFP. Phillips is also a senior research scientist at the Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation.

“The new Annals of Family Medicine marks a milestone in the maturation of the specialty and in the commitment of our professional organizations and scientific community. It is an exciting enterprise at a critical time,” Phillips said.

The editors encourage authors to begin preparing manuscripts for the new journal. The Annals Web site (AnnFamMed.org) is currently under development. Information for authors and a call for reviewers will be available in May, 2002, and an online manuscript submission process will be implemented later this spring. The Annals will be published six times a year initially, and will publish its first print and online issue in spring, 2003.

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The Annals of Family Medicine will include research and interactive discussions about health and primary health care.
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents more than 93,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.

Nearly one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 215 million office visits each year – nearly 48 million more than the next medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide the majority of care for America’s underserved and rural populations.

In the increasingly fragmented world of health care where many medical specialties limit their practice to a particular organ, disease, age or sex, family physicians are dedicated to treating the whole person across the full spectrum of ages. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.

To learn more about the American Academy of Family Physicians and about the specialty of family medicine, please visit www.aafp.org.

For more information about the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care and downloadable multi-media on family medicine and health care, visit the AAFP Media Center.

For more information about health care, health conditions, and wellness, please visit familydoctor.org.