December Announcements

Updates to the APAP Faculty Directory

APAP Faculty Directory updates for 2005 are due on December 22, 2004. If you have not already done so, please return updated faculty/staff listings to Geraldene Darden, gdarden@aapa.org. If you would like to have your program information sent again for your revision, please contact Geraldene.

Mark Your Calendars for the APAP 2005 Education Forum

APAP’s 2005 Education Forum will be held at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort (the ultimate caribbean resort) in Las Croabas, Puerto Rico on November 2–6, 2005. Be sure to mark your calendars!

Alumni Events during AAPA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida

If you would like to schedule an physician assistant alumni event during the AAPA annual PA conference, please complete the Space Release Form through the following link: http://www.formsite.com/aapa/spacerelease/index.html. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Phillips, AAPA' s director for Meeting and Industry Relations, amy@aapa.org.

AAPA Store Holiday Special

CSAC Calls for Abstracts

PAs are invited to submit abstracts of original research, clinical reports, case studies, educational research, and previously presented posters for the 14th Annual Clinical and Professional Poster Session at AAPA's annual conference in Orlando. PA educators and PA students are strongly encouraged to submit abstracts for the PA Education and Student Research galleries. To submit your abstract and for additional details, go to http://www.aapa.org/clinissues/PosterSession.htm. All abstracts must be received on-line by January 7. The poster session is coordinated by AAPA's Clinical and Scientific Affairs Council.

Ruth Ballweg Elected Chair of Board of Seattle, Washington's, Group Health

Ruth Ballweg, PA-C, MPA, was elected to a one-year term as chair of the board for the Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative. The 11-member Board of Trustees votes on all major policy issues for one of the nation's largest consumer-governed health care systems. Group Health announced Ms. Ballweg's election on November 23.

A certified physician assistant, Ballweg is director and associate professor of MEDEX Northwest, the Department of Medical Education and Biomedical Informatics, at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She has served in various capacities there for nearly 25 years.

"Ruth Ballweg is an outstanding choice to chair the board of one of the nation's largest consumer-governed health care systems," said Group Health incoming President and CEO Scott Armstrong. "Her career and accomplishments are impressive by any measure, but most especially in their reflection of Ruth's longstanding commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Group Health Cooperative."

Ballweg's term as chair will begin January 1, 2005. To read more about her appointment, please go to http://www.ghc.org/news/news.jhtml?reposid=/common/news/news/2.

HHS Partners with Discovery Networks, U.S., and Clinician Groups on New Tools to Help Combat Childhood Obesity

In response to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity in this county, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed two DVDs to teach children and their parents about smart eating and physical activity and to educate clinicians about the best ways to prevent and treat obesity in children. HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has partnered with FitTV, the newest network from Discovery Networks, U.S., to produce a fun and interactive DVD for children and their parents called "Max's Magical Delivery: Fit for Kids."

A second DVD called "Childhood Obesity: Combating the Epidemic" has also been produced in partnership with Discovery Health Channel to help pediatricians, family physicians, and other health care providers learn new methods for assessing and treating childhood overweight and obesity. This 55-minute DVD provides helpful tools for clinicians on measuring body mass index, as well as initiating and sustaining behavior change in children. One hour of CME credit is available for those who watch the program and take an on-line post test.

Programs are invited to work with the AHQR and use the new tools that have been developed in any way that furthers their goals. The agency is already working with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners to get copies of the DVDs to clinicians and their patients.

For more information, please visit http://www.discoveryhealthcme.com or call 800/358-9295.

APAP Update - December 2004