Online Registration Available for 2005 ABFM Examinations

The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) is offering online registration and test center selection for its 2005 board certification and recertification examinations. Applications also are available for the examination for a certificate of added qualifications in sports medicine. At the end of the application process, there is a prompt for choosing among 200 test centers and nine examination dates. Registration is open until May 31, 2005. ABFM recommends that candidates register as soon as possible to increase the probability of being assigned their first choice of test dates and locations. The application forms are available throughhttp://www.theabfm.org. The ABFM Help Desk is available to answer questions at 877-223-7437 or e-mail: help@theabfm.org.

Register Online for the STFM 38th Annual Spring Conference

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) is hosting their 38th Annual Spring Conference in New Orleans. The conference, “Conflict, Collaboration, and Resolution: Family Medicine Education in the 21st Century,” is scheduled for April 30 through May 4, 2005. Conference highlights include a number of workshops, seminars, lecture-discussions, and a computer classroom. Future of Family Medicine sessions will focus on recommendations that relate to education and training. Educational resource and career opportunity exhibits will be displayed, including information on professional development and enhanced teaching and communicating with residents and students. The computer classroom offers an interactive, hands-on setting that provides task-oriented, computer educational workshops directed toward the understanding and acquisition of specific computer skills and methodologies. Hotel reservations can be made by calling the New Orleans Marriott at 888-364-1200 or online athttp://www.stayatmarriott.com/stfm/. STFM is recommending that attendees make reservations as soon as possible because the 2005 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is the same weekend as the conference. More information about the conference is available online athttp://www.stfm.org/AnnualConf/AN05/index.htm. To find out more about dining, entertainment, and sightseeing tours in New Orleans, go tohttp://www.neworleansonline.com or call 888-584-6302.

AAFP Collaborates on Obesity Management Journal

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has become a collaborating organization for the new journal Obesity Management. The bimonthly journal is the official publication of the Centers for Obesity Research and Education, which includes eight U.S. centers that train primary care physicians and other health professionals in obesity management. AAFP has no financial obligation but will be recognized in the journal and on the Web site. Academy members will be able to subscribe at a discount rate. The journal focuses on issues surrounding the health hazards of obesity, practical advice and information about prevention and treatment, interviews with obesity experts, summaries of the latest research, online resources, and new book and product reviews. Each issue contains news, tips, and tools. Other partners include the American Dietetic Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and the American Obesity Association. The first issue is available online athttp://www.liebertonline.com/toc/obe/1/1.

AAFP Provides Web Site for 2005 State Chapters’ Legislative Priorities

The AAFP has a state advocacy Web site with links to each constituent chapter. The site lists each chapter’s legislative, regulatory, and judicial priorities, which range from medical liability reform to specific scope-of-practice issues. Many chapters have set goals of increasing access to health care, ensuring adequate drug formularies, providing sufficient payment for services to Medicaid patients, improving tobacco prevention programs, and obtaining state funding for residency training and medical schools. For links to information about each state, go tohttps://www.aafp.org/x31899.xml.

CDC Web Site Focuses on Autism and Other Developmental Disorders

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a comprehensive Web resource on autism and other developmental disorders. The site,http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly, provides age-referenced developmental milestones for ages three months to five years and fact sheets covering autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, vision loss, mental retardation, hearing loss, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The milestone checklists include developmental abilities that children should reach by a certain age, such as raise head and chest when lying on stomach, respond when told no, and begin make-believe play. Patient education materials and links to other related organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Autism Society of America, also are available.

ACS Publishes 2005 Edition of “Cancer Facts & Figures”

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has issued the 2005 edition of their annual publication, “Cancer Facts & Figures.” Each year, this report features a concise summary of the most frequently used cancer statistics, estimates of new cancer cases and deaths for the current year, and national and state data. In this edition, a special section on cancers caused by infectious disease is included. Among other statistics, the report reveals there were an estimated 1,372,910 new cases of cancer in 2005; lung cancer remains the number one cause of death in the United States; the five-year survival rate for all cancers is 64 percent, up from 50 percent in the 1970s. The publication is available on the ACS Web site athttp://www.cancer.org.

SAMHSA Provides $22 Million for Community Mental Health Services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced the availability of $22 million in funds for the 2005 fiscal year. The funds will be available for cooperative agreements to develop integrated home and community-based services and supports for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Applications are due by May 17, 2005. For information on who is eligible and how to apply, go tohttp://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/050217ma_cmhi.htm.