Dear ,
I just returned from Washington, DC where I joined with 20 Illinois members, including five residents, to advocate directly to our Illinois Congressional delegation with the AAFP Family Medicine Advocacy Summit. This was my 8th trip to Capitol Hill and I still marvel at the experience. It is always a privilege and an integral right we have in our country to meet with our National elected leaders to discuss issues important to us as family physicians and to the patients and communities that we serve. I find discussing the health of the nation usually ignores political lines. I have never had a Congressperson ask me about my political associations; that is not what we are there to talk about. Our Illinois members met with 17 out of 19 Congressional offices and seven of those visits included the Congressperson!
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Now, for us in Illinois, the countdown is on: the AAFP Family Medicine Experience (FMX) is just a few months away and coming to Chicago. Family medicine will gather at McCormick Place October 26-29, and it's shaping up to be an incredible opportunity for family medicine. Even with a slightly different schedule than long-time attendees might be used to, the FMX will pack a lot of great education and networking into a long weekend. Personally, I would like to pack the conference with Illinois Academy members! You can make it a weekend in the city with your family or zip in and out of McCormick using Metra or the CTA. Non-Chicagoland area members like me can even take the Amtrak to Chicago.
At FMX, attendees can look forward to hearing about the latest advances in family medicine, networking with peers and industry leaders, and earning those CME credits. With a vast array of sessions — including clinical lectures, hands-on workshops, live Q&As, and more — there's something for everyone.
I hope you'll join family physicians from all over the country — including our own great state — in Chicago this October for the AAFP Family Medicine Experience. We're going to make our own IAFP annual meeting a three-hour party within the FMX on Friday October 27 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. AAFP's board chair Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize will install our new board members and I'll pass the presidential torch to Dr. Emma Daisy. Then we'll celebrate the IAFP Awards. So get those nominations in by July 4.
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Speaking of deadlines, the FMX Early Registration Discount deadline is July 1!
For more information and to register for FMX, visit www.aafp.org/fmx . At FMX you will find a place to connect with family physicians from all over the country, access cutting-edge learning opportunities, and incredible resources that can help you bring new ideas and innovations to your practice. It's an amazing chance to network with peers, share best practices, and learn from the most knowledgeable experts in our field. Plus, you'll get a chance to experience all of the culture that Chicago has to offer. It's an incredible opportunity to make connections, stay current on clinical issues, and gain new skills that you can bring back to your practice! We hope you can join us for this extraordinary event. Let's come together to advance family medicine and celebrate the incredible power of our profession!
See you in October in Chicago!
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Your friend,
Timothy Ott, DO, FAAFP
President
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