Congress of Delegates Convenes in Chicago Oct. 25-27

Join Virtual Reference Committee Hearings; Review AAFP Candidates Website

June 29, 2023, News Staff — If you plan to attend the AAFP Congress of Delegates in Chicago this fall, it’s time to start planning your trip to the Windy City. The 2023 COD will convene Wednesday, Oct. 25, through Friday, Oct. 27, in the McCormick Place Convention Center in conjunction with the Family Medicine Experience — the AAFP’s largest annual meeting — which is scheduled for Oct. 26-29.

As the Academy’s policy-making body, the COD is part of the governance process through which members direct the AAFP’s work. It comprises two delegates and two alternates from each constituent chapter and from the various member constituencies (i.e., new physicians, residents, students, and other constituency groups represented at the National Conference of Constituency Leaders). Together, these member representatives will consider a host of business items — resolutions submitted by chapters and reports developed by the Board of Directors and commissions — and elect new AAFP officers and directors.

Also on the agenda: AAFP officers will provide updates on and answer questions about key Academy priorities during an Oct. 24 Town Hall, and several AAFP awards will be conferred during a luncheon Oct. 26. And, of course, you’ll have plenty of opportunities throughout the meeting to engage with your FP colleagues and other attendees.

New this year, childcare options will be available for COD and FMX participants who want to bring the entire family along. Children ages 6 months to 17 years are welcome to attend Camp AAFP from Oct. 25 through Oct. 29. Care will be provided by Accent on Children’s Arrangements, and special full-day, half-day and hourly rates are available. Register by Oct. 18 to reserve your child’s spot. Late and on-site registration requests will be accommodated if space is available.

Even if you can’t attend the COD in person, you can still take an active role in helping shape Academy policy by participating in virtual reference committee hearings.

To increase members’ opportunities to make their voices heard, the COD reference committee hearings, which traditionally required in-person attendance, have been transitioned to entirely virtual this year. Any AAFP member can register for and participate remotely in reference committee hearings being held Saturday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. CT, and Sunday, Oct. 15, at noon and 2 p.m. CT (with a 10 a.m. hearing only if needed). During those hearings, you can share your perspective on issues covered in resolutions assigned to these reference committees: Advocacy, Education, Health of the Public and Science, Organization and Finance, and Practice Enhancement.

Story Highlights

After reviewing members’ testimony, each reference committee will issue a report and consent calendar containing the committee’s recommendations to delegates regarding each measure considered (i.e., vote to adopt or not adopt the original resolution or a reworked substitute, reaffirm it as current policy, or refer it to the Board for further consideration). Delegates may extract any item for additional discussion and a separate vote.

Another important way to participate in the Academy governance process remotely is by reviewing the candidates for AAFP office and letting your chapter delegates know which candidates you support.

First, get to know them by exploring the 2023 AAFP Candidates webpage, where you can see who’s running for AAFP president-elect, speaker, vice speaker and director positions.

From there, you can link to each candidate’s individual page to learn more about them — where they’ve come from, what they’ve accomplished and what they consider important. Here’s what you’ll find on each candidate’s page:

contact information,
personal statement,
biography (with candid photos!) and
curriculum vitae.

Note that you’ll need to be logged in to access these pages.

In addition, although the AAFP’s Candidate Campaign Activities and Rules document states that candidates for Academy offices may not use official AAFP social media channels (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) for campaigning purposes, candidates are welcome to use the official COD event hashtag — #aafpcod — in any messages sent from their personal Twitter accounts, including campaign messages. Academy members with Twitter accounts can use that COD hashtag to follow campaign activities and other events leading up to the election.

Further information about this year’s COD is available online, including links to a schedule of official activities, information on housing and a registration portal. This 2023 COD page will also link to resolutions as they are submitted.

Finally, if you’re still on the fence about whether to stay on in Chicago for this year’s FMX, explore what’s in store for the 2023 meeting, take a look at highlights from 2022, and find dates and locations for upcoming FMX gatherings — all in one place.