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Congratulations to SIU Springfield School of Medicine for winning first place in the AAFP FMIG Tar Wars Challenge. The students at SIU together taught Tar Wars to nearly 900 students this school year! Their FMIG will receive a $500 prize to use for future activities. Congratulations to coordinator Mallory Miller and all the students who taught Tar Wars this year.
Link to our state poster contest results!
Board and leaders at ALF and NCSC
IAFP sent a full delegation to Kansas City for the AAFP National Conference of Special Constituencies this week to participate in the leadership process representing key sectors of the IAFP membership, which by the way - is now over 115,000, with 26,000 student members!
Representing Illinois are:
New IAFP board member Regina Kim, MD - Women
Tabatha Wells, MD - Minority
IAFP New Physician Board member Michael Hanak, MD - New Physician
Board member Asim Jaffer, MD - IMG
Treasurer and Alternate Delegate to AAFP Ravi Grivois-Shah, MD- GLBT
Board member Alice Daniels , MD & Resident Board Member Monica Fudala, MD are also attending NCSC as general attendees.
Meanwhile the rest of the IAFP board and key staff are participating the concurrent Annual Leadership Forum to hone their leadership skills and exchange best practice information with fellow chapters. The board of directors will meet on Saturday, May 3 after the conferences conclude. Look for key outcomes from that meeting in the next issue of e-news.
E-cigarette restrictions now law in Chicago
 Tuesday April 29, 2014 marked the beginning of the end for electronic cigarettes in Chicago, as the nicotine delivery devices were officially included in the city's Clean Indoor Air act. Likewise, e-cigarettes are subjected to the same rules for sale as traditional cigarettes, meaning they must be kept behind the counter and may not be sold to anyone under age 18. Chicago was the first major city to pass an ordinance, and was quickly followed by other major cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Past President Carolyn Lopez, MD, the current president of the Chicago Board of Health kicked off the press conference unveiling the City's updated no smoking signs now available for Chicago businesses and facilities.
IAFP Hosts Roundtable on Food Safety
Family physicians, residents and medical students gathered April 23 for dinner and conversation hosted by IAFP. Ronald Kleinman, MD, chair of pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital discussed food safety and biotechnology. "More than ever in our history, the public has questions about food: how it is produced, where it was grown, whether it is safe. At the center of many discussions is agricultural biotechnology. We as physicians are called upon to provide guidance for patients and policy makers alike. People care about and listen to what we think and what we say." IAFP leaders included Kristin Drynan, MD, board member and chair of the Public Relations Task Force; Aaron Goldstein, student board member and member of the Public Health Committee; and John Franco, MD, resident member of the Government Relations Committee. Coincidentally, the May 2014 issue of National Geographic features the start of six issues of features on food, safety and biotechnology.
Illinois leaders on Capitol Hill
Illinois AFP continued our tradition of representing you in Congress with a strong showing at the AAFP annual Family Medicine Congressional Conference April 7-8. Attendees spent a day of learning and updates, including a panel presentation with IAFP vice president of external affairs Gordana Krkic, CAE. Armed with current information and AAFP position papers, they headed to Capitol Hill for individual and group meetings with lawmakers and staff. Much more information to come in the May issue of Illinois Family Physician. Representing Illinois were: President Edward A. Blumen, MD; President-elect Janet Albers, MD; Second Vice President Deborah Edberg, MD; Resident board member Monica Fudala, MD; past presidents David Hagan, MD and Steven Knight, MD and IAFP members Thomas Cornwell, MD; James Valek, MD; Santina Wheat, MD; resident/fellow Emma Daisy, MD and resident Stephanie Gadbois.
IAFP leader testified on Capitol Hill for Teaching Health Center
 | | Photo provided by the U.S. Senate |
Dr. Edberg has a well-timed opportunity to also testify live before the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging in support of reauthorizing and fully funding Teaching Health Centers. Edberg is program director for the Northwestern-McGaw Family Medicine Residency program at Erie Family Health Center on Chicago's Northwest Side, one of the first 11 federally funded THCs in the nation.
She said, in part: These talented doctors increase our nation's capacity to provide care in underserved communities. But they are also the leaders of tomorrow. In addition to direct experience, the McGaw program provides a rigorous academic curriculum that emphasizes leadership in health policy, community engagement, and research. The Teaching Health Center program invests in students, patients, communities and long-term solutions to some of the most critical challenges facing our health system and our society.
You can link to her full testimony here.
Nominate a deserving FP of the Year-Nominations are due June 1 and must have a support letter included. Link to the form here with more details.
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