Foundation News & Events
The Foundation of the GAFP Raises Nearly $7,500 with "Days Off/Days On" Vacation Raffle
The Foundation of the GAFP announced its raffle winner at the Georgia Academy's Annual Meeting and Scientific Assembly November 13, 2011 in Atlanta. Dr. Andy F. Williamson from Dublin won the grand prize and chose the 5-days off option of exploring Costa Rica valued at $3,500!
With just 300 tickets to sell, the "Days Off/Days On" raffle raised $7,500 for the Foundation's programs including Tar Wars, a tobacco-education and smoking prevention program for 4th and 5th grade students throughout the state and more. Many thanks to all who bought tickets in support of the Foundation of the GAFP!
Foundation of the GAFP Annual Research Poster Competition Winners Announced at the GAFP Meeting November 11th in Atlanta
The Foundation of the GAFP Annual Research Poster Competition was held during the GAFP Annual Meeting and Scientific Assembly November 10-11, 2011 in Atlanta. Posters were displayed in the registration area of the Cobb Galleria for all members to view and were evaluated by Dr. John Kludt, Dr. Rolf Meinhold and Dr. Mitzi Rubin. Practicing Physician/Fellows, Residents, Medical Students and Pre- Med students from throughout the state participated in the competition. Results were as follows:
Pre-Med Category:
1st place: Community Assessment and Perceptions of Family Planning Services and Adolescent Pregnancy within Southwest Georgia – Allison Cauthen, Neal Trulock (Pathway to Medical School Students)
2nd place: Assessing the Need for a Health Coach in Rural Southwest Georgia - Samantha Jo Worthy, Clint Cawley (Pathway to Medical School Students)
3rd Place: Reported Physical Activity of Obese Patients in Southwest Georgia - Stephanie Botton and Le'Tombria Seay (Pathway to Medical School Students)
Medical Student Category:
1st place: The Effects of Endogenous and Exogenous Hormone Changes on Sickle Cell Patients: An Attempt to Access and Provide Better Patient Care by the PCP – Walkitria Alexander (Morehouse School of Medicine)
Resident Category:
1st place: Long term treatment with metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes and risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency - Viktoria Nurpeisov, MD Baurzhan Nurpeisov, MBA, G.E. Alan Dever, MD, Ph D, MPH ( Atlanta Medical Center)
2nd place: Overcoming Barriers to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening in Primary Care - Isioma Okwumabua MD, Charles Sow MD, Kanyan Xiao MD, Folashade Omole MD (Morehouse School of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program)
3rd place: A Rare Form of Melanoma Masquerading as a Diabetic Foot Ulcer: a Case Report - Susan Thomas, MD, Yuan-Xiang Meng, MD, PhD Vijay Kumar Patel, MBBS, FRCS, Gregory Strayhorn,MD, PhD (Morehouse School of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program)
Physician /Fellow:
1st: The Benefits of Mental Health Case Management in a Primary Care Setting – Irshad Syed MD, Sarah Schwartz, Kristen Williams ( Grady Health System)
Congratulations to all our participants!
2011 Tar Wars Star: Kara Sinkule
Kara Sinkule, Foundation Associate Executive Director, has received the 2011 AAFP Star Award. This is a national award given for individuals who exhibit outstanding service as it related to AAFP Tar Wars activities. She was instrumental in instituting a relationship between the Foundation of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians with the Georgia School Nurses Association. This affiliation allowed our Georgia Tar Wars program to triple in size and grow in strength as we now have over 100 Tar Wars educators available to educate fourth and fifth graders on tobacco awareness and prevention.
The Foundation of the GAFP received a grant from the AAFP Foundation's Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium to expand this program during the 2011-2012 school years. The focus with our strategic partnership with the Georgia School Nurses Association is allowing us access into rural and underserved communities where there was a paucity of Tar Wars presenters in the past.
According to the Georgia Association of School Nurses "there is a critical need in schools throughout Georgia for tobacco education and prevention programs like Tar Wars to counter the rising number of youth smoking in Georgia. The Tar Wars program along with the training and assistance the Foundation of the GAFP provides is an invaluable resource to our school nurses throughout the state. In the years ahead, we look forward to working together to keep Georgia's youth tobacco free and protect Georgia communities from the dangers of secondhand smoke. "
The 2011 Rural Georgia Tar Wars Project seeks to capitalize on the momentum we have gained from more than tripling our presentations statewide over the last three years to reach an additional 5,000 underserved fourth and fifth-grade students in 50 rural Georgia counties.
Kara will be recognized for her award at the AAFP Tar Wars Conference that will be held in late July in Washington, DC. Congratulations Kara and thank you for your tireless efforts.
The Foundation of the GAFP Disaster Relief Fund Offers A Helping Hand to GAFP Members Impacted By April's Deadly Tornadoes
The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians and the Foundation of the GAFP recently outreached to all GAFP members living or working in one of the counties affected by April's deadly tornadoes. FEMA has declared that twenty five counties were impacted and can receive disaster assistance for individuals, families, and businesses in the following counties: Bartow, Catoosa, Cherokee, Coweta, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Greene, Habersham, Harris, Heard, Lamar, Lumpkin, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Spalding, Troup, Upson, White and Walker.
Assistance for GAFP Members:
The Disaster Relief Fund, established in the wake of the 2007 tornadoes that devastated Americus, Georgia causing extensive damage to GAFP member offices, is available for GAFP members who have suffered from a natural disaster and need financial assistance.
If you were impacted by the recent tornadoes or know a GAFP member who was, please contact Kara Sinkule at ksinkule@gafp.org or call our toll free number 800-392-3841 for an application or more information. For those wishing to donate to GAFP's Disaster Relief Fund please call 800-392-381 or visit www.gafp.org/donation.asp
Other Resources:
Affected individuals and business owners in these counties can apply for assistance by calling FEMA's toll-free registration number, 800-621-FEMA (3362). An online application may be completed at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. Individual assistance for homeowners and renters can include grants to help pay for rental housing, home repairs, and other serious disaster-related expenses not met by insurance or other assistance programs.
Tritt Elementary 5th Grader Eleanor Weber Wins 2010-11 Tar Wars Statewide Poster Contest And Trip to Washington D.C.
Tritt Elementary 5th grader Eleanor Weber of Marietta received first place in the 2010-2011 statewide Georgia Tar Wars Poster competition. Posters from more than a dozen participating schools throughout Georgia were entered into the competition where students were asked to create positive "advertisements" for leading tobacco-free lives.
As Georgia's first place winner, Eleanor will receive a $150 cash prize, travel and lodging for the National Tar Wars Conference and Poster Competition in Washington D.C. in July. Her poster entitled "Dare To be Tobacco Free" depicts landscapes from two towns: one with blue skies and trees where people live tobacco-free and one with poor air quality where tobacco products are sold (poster pictured below).
Second place in the Tar Wars statewide poster contest was awarded to Natalie Campbell also from Tritt Elementary, who received a $100 cash prize. The third place prize, with a $50 cash award, was awarded to Kenzie Fenn who also attends Tritt Elementary in Marietta.
President of the Foundation of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Brian Nadolne and Foundation Vice President, Dr. Rolf Meinhold presented the Tar Wars program to Tritt's 5th grade students in January 2011.
This year marks the 23rd anniversary of Tar Wars; a tobacco-free education program sponsored in Georgia by the Foundation of Georgia Academy of Family Physicians and designed to increase awareness among 4th and 5th graders of the effects of tobacco on the body. Since it was established in 1988, Tar Wars has reached more than 8 million children in 17 countries with its tobacco-free message and is administered nationally by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
For more information on the Tar Wars program or to schedule a Tar Wars presentation for your school please contact Kara Sinkule at (404) 321-7445 or ksinkule@gafp.org.
Georgia FMIG Educational Programming Bureau
The Foundation of the GAFP received a grant from the Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium (FMPC) to create the Georgia FMIG Educational Programming Bureau for each of Georgia's seven medical school Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) clubs. The new Programming Bureau was designed and developed to educate medical students on vital student development components and modern clinical practice while fostering maximum interest in family medicine as a career choice.
Available programming topics for the 2011-12 school year include:
- Making Your Voice Heard: Advocacy for You, Your Practice and Your Patients
- What Healthcare Reform Means For Your Professional Future
- Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH): The Future is Now
- Let's Talk about Debt: School Loan Debt Management
- Family Physician Myth-Busters: Lifestyle & Income Myths Get Busted for Rural & Urban Family Physicians
- Skills Workshops (EKG, stress testing and colposcopy) (for 3rd and 4th years)
- Student Professional Development:
- Research Poster Presentation Workshop
- AAFP Strolling Through the Match
- Tar-Wars Training
To make the Educational Programming Bureau a success it will include leaders from the GAFP's various organizational levels, including the Board of Directors, Foundation Trustees and residency programs in a variety of academic and clinical positions. For those interested in being a speaker or presenter at a future FMIG meeting please contact Tammy Reasoner (treasoner@gafp.org) or Kara Sinkule (ksinkule@gafp.org) at 404-321-7445.
The Foundation of the GAFP Recognizes Corporate Trustee
The Foundation of the GAFP is proud to have Amedisys Home Health Services returning as a Foundation Corporate Trustee for 2011. As a leading provider of home healthcare and hospice services, Amedisys is focused on providing professional and personalized care for each and every patient and has a proven record of community service and corporate philanthropy in Georgia. Mr. Mark Hall, Vice President of Business Development, will represent Amedisys on the 2011 Foundation Board.
Foundation of the GAFP Awarded Two Grants
The Foundation of the GAFP was awarded two grants to support new programs for Family Medical Interest Groups and the continued expansion of the Tar Wars program in rural areas.
The Foundation of the GAFP received a $5,000 grant from the Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium (FMPC) to create the Georgia FMIG Educational Programming Bureau for each of Georgia's seven medical school Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) clubs. The new Programming Bureau was designed and developed to educate medical students on vital student development components and modern clinical practices, while fostering maximum interest in Family Medicine as a career choice.
The Educational Programming Bureau will include leaders from the GAFP's various organizational levels, including the Board of Directors, Foundation Trustees and residency programs in a variety of academic and clinical positions. These family medicine physician leaders will provide valuable educational programming to each of Georgia's medical school FMIG clubs and will serve as a resource for students to demonstrate the overall breadth and scope of Family Medicine.
The second award was a $5,000 grant also from the FMPCto support the Rural Georgia Tar Wars Project 2011-12. The Rural Georgia Tar Wars Project seeks to build upon the success of the Georgia Tar Wars program to reach an additional 5,000 underserved fourth and fifth-grade students in 50 rural Georgia counties where presenter recruitment has proven difficult.
Grant funds will be used to assemble Tar Wars kits for presenters to use as a "one stop" box of the items needed to present Tar Wars to 4th and 5th graders throughout rural Georgia. Additionally, the Foundation will work with the Georgia Association of School Nurses to train their members in underserved areas of the state as Tar Wars presenters. Participating school nurses will also be eligible for stipends to encourage maximum recruitment and attendance for Tar Wars training sessions.
To learn more about the FMIG Educational Programming Bureau, the Tar Wars program or to volunteer as a presenter in your community contact Kara Sinkule at 800-392-3841 or at ksinkule@gafp.org.