The Annual Scientific Assembly of the American Academy of Family Physicians is just around the corner. During the last week of September, several thousand family physicians, residents, and students will gather in San Francisco to hear presentations on the latest clinical developments and important social issues affecting the profession. Lectures and workshops will cover a wide range of topics, such as immunization updates, antibiotic resistance, prostate cancer, menopause, mental health, deep venous thrombosis, skin cancer, office emergencies, computer technology, ethical issues, and the future of family medicine.

The increasingly popular procedural skills workshops are being offered in 26 topic areas, some in both basic and advanced formats. The Assembly also marks the kick-off of the 2006 Annual Clinical Focus on care of children and adolescents.

Meet the Editors at the Publications Exhibit

One of the major attractions during Assembly is the vast exhibit floor. Several hundred exhibitors will be there Thursday through Saturday, September 29 through October 1, to provide information and discuss the latest trends. The Academy’s publications will be represented as well. Medical and professional editors from American Family Physician (AFP) and Family Practice Management will be available in the AAFP Publications booth, and we hope you’ll stop by. Representatives of Annals of Family Medicine will be available in a nearby booth. We are pleased that the booth will have a new look this year. It offers more functional space, a more efficient computer display, and even an area for small group discussions away from the crowds.

As always, we would appreciate your feedback on AFP’s content and future direction. We’ll be asking readers to fill out a short survey to tell us how we are doing and how we can better meet your needs in the future. We’ve made some changes in the past year, and we are planning more; this is your chance to provide input and help us determine your journal’s direction. In return for your time, we have a small “high-tech” gift for you; I’ll keep that a surprise for now, but it’s small enough to fit in a pocket and I know you’ll find it useful.

New Author Workshop

AFP’s editor, Jay Siwek, M.D., and Barry Weiss, M.D., editor of Family Medicine will present a workshop for new authors. The workshop is designed for physicians who wish to write articles for medical journals. It will include things to consider before starting to write, the process of writing, how to respond to editors’ and reviewers’ recommendations, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Participants are encouraged to bring the introduction section from an unpublished paper they have written. Small groups of participants will review the writings, with comments from the editors. This kind of personal feedback can be a valuable learning tool for aspiring authors. If you would like more information on this workshop, other lectures and workshops, or other general information related to Assembly, go tohttps://www.aafp.org/x32287.xml.

If you are unable to attend the workshop at Assembly, you can obtain manuscript instructions in AFP’s Authors Guide athttps://www.aafp.org/afp. Also, you can send feedback anytime to us at afpedit@aafp.org.