AAFP to host Facebook Live on ABFM pilot Dec. 10, 2018

This evening at 7 p.m., the American Academy  of Family Physicians (AAFP) will be hosting a Facebook Live seminar on the American Board of Family Medicine's (ABFM) Exam Alternative Pilot Program. The Facebook session will detail the recently announced alternative to the ABFM's controversial one-day exam and what it means for family physicians. View the session here.

Despite last year's record-breaking and deadly flu season, more than 40 percent of American adults haven't yet received the flu shot - and say they don't plan to. The Hill reports among those who say they won't receive the vaccine, most were concerned about side effects and getting the flu from the vaccination; worries also abound over the effectiveness of the flu shot.

PAFP members, it's your last chance to apply for a leadership position for the 2019-20 year! PAFP Board of Directors and committee members serve as the infrastructure of the Academy, developing policy and making decisions that keep the organization at the forefront of the specialty. If you're interested, apply quickly: the deadline is just weeks away on Dec. 31, 2018!

A new tick species capable of transmitting deadly disease is spreading across the U.S. and is already in Pennsylvania. According to the Washington Post, the Asian longhorned tick, the first invasive tick to arrive in the U.S. in 80 years, carries a virus in Asia that causes hemorrhagic fever and kills up to 30 percent of its victims. That virus has not yet appeared in the United States.

I have had the pleasure of hearing from and speaking with a number of members about a resolution adopted at the AAFP’s recent Congress of Delegates meeting regarding “engaged neutrality” on the issue of medical aid in dying. Understandably, this position change has created concerns among some members. (Please click here to view the full PAFP statement.)