“Every Texan has two homes, his own and San Antonio.”

– Frank Tolbert, Texas historian and journalist

By Kate McCann

Welcome home.

After a long day, going home means kicking off your shoes, settling down in a comfortable place and joining family and friends in fellowship. At TAFP’s 2005 Annual Session and Scientific Assembly, scheduled for July 21 - 24, the familiar feeling of coming home will greet you as you walk through the doors of The Westin Riverwalk and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. For this year’s conference, return home to one of the Academy’s favorite host cities, San Antonio.

Events of the TAFP Annual Session will be difficult to forget, with informative CME events, entertaining celebrations and plenty of time to get together with old friends all in the historic, festive city of San Antonio.

“The atmosphere of the conference represents a collegiate spirit,” says Dale Moquist, M.D., chairman of the Commission on Annual Session and CME. “It is a time to meet friends and visit with those you haven’t seen in four or five years.”

Leading off the conference will be keynote speaker, James O. Hill, M.D., Ph.D. He is the director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where he focuses on improving nutrition and physical activity patterns of the population. He is interested in how diet and physical activity influence body weight and how high-fat diet and inactivity may contribute to the current global epidemic of obesity.

“There is urgency in addressing obesity,” Hill says. “The key to addressing obesity is to help people make behavior changes and the key to making behavior changes is to start with small changes. We must modify the environment to support and sustain the behavior changes.”

From serving on various boards and committees dedicated to the study of obesity and nutrition to publishing over 200 scientific articles and book chapters in these areas, Hill has an important message.

While you’re in San Antonio, be sure to take a tour on a River Walk river cruiser. You will travel the River Walk’s three miles past retail shops, restaurants and nightclubs.

“I want to inspire each attendee to do something more to address obesity,” Hill says. “This involves doing more with their patients but also doing more in their communities.”

Hill is the co-founder of America on the Move, a national weight gain prevention initiative that aims to encourage Americans to make small changes in eating and exercising patterns.

AOM is paired with AAFP’s America in Motion this year for step two of the AIM program. This step encourages physicians’ office staff to incorporate personal fitness into daily life.

Some of the exciting CME topics that will be offered at this year’s conference will focus on health savings accounts, technology and other topics of interest to members. Through workshops and lectures, attendees will be able to earn up to 22 prescribed hours of credit. By attending breakfast, lunch and dinner symposia attendees can earn seven bonus credit hours of CME with the purchase of the meal package for a total of 29 available credits.

“We hope to give members good CME, improve their knowledge of medical issues and help them practice better medicine,” Moquist says.

The BetterBones™ Osteoporosis Evidence-based CME workshop offers an extension of the BetterBones™ program developed by AAFP in 2003. Called the silent epidemic, osteoporosis carries with it many misconceptions, such as being “the old woman disease.” This three-hour workshop emphasizes the importance of timely diagnosis, treatment options and outcomes for the osteoporosis patient. Attendees are eligible for up to three hours of AAFP evidence-based CME during the live presentation plus an additional three hours category 1 credit in a 24-page syllabus.

above: The Tower of the Americas in HemisFair Park offers visitors a panoramic view of the city, rising to a height of 750 feet. It houses a restaurant and observation deck.

below: Most Annual Session activities and CME presentations will take place in the 1.3-million-square-foot Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

Hone your preceptorship skills during the three-hour preceptor workshop. The goal of this workshop is to effectively train doctors with the knowledge and strategies of teaching so that the medical students under their watch can fully benefit from the preceptorship program. The workshop is especially intended for physicians who wish to be preceptors, but have not developed specific teaching skills to participate in the program. In addition to two hours of preceptorship skills, attendees will earn one credit of medical ethics.

Other workshops include a brand new offering designed to develop leadership among family physicians and a course on risk management put on by the state’s largest liability carrier, Texas Medical Liability Trust. Physicians who are insured with TMLT may earn professional liability insurance discounts by participating in approved continuing education activities. TMLT policyholders who complete this course will earn a three-percent discount (not to exceed $1,000), which will be applied to their upcoming policy period.

All TAFP commission and committee meetings are open to anyone except for meetings of the Executive and Nominating committees. Committee, commission and section meetings are where the Academy’s policy decisions are made. Come participate in discussions on the issues that member physicians face every day.

It’s not all work and no play at TAFP’s Annual Session. Each year, the family physicians of Texas enjoy spending time catching up at the many social events on the calendar. The festivities kick off at the Opening Celebration hosted by the TAFP Foundation, where you’ll have the opportunity to eat, drink and be merry in the conference exhibit hall, surrounded by approximately 100 of the leading companies in the fields of medical services, products, supplies and information technology. Other special events include the Physician of the Year Reception, the Special Constituencies Reception, held this year in honor of minority physicians, and the John Peter Smith Alumni Reunion. And don’t forget the Academy’s grandest event of the year, TAFP’s officer inauguration and the President’s Gala on Saturday evening.

The flavors and excitement of San Antonio are paired with a comfortable atmosphere of a second home. Through the bustling, modern city winds a quiet reminder of the city’s heritage. The San Antonio River, once called “Yanaguana” or “place of refreshing waters” by the Payaya Indians, serves as the lifeblood of the city. Cobblestone and flagstone paths line the banks of the river along the famous Paseo del Rio, or River Walk, where river-level restaurants, hotels, retail shops and a diverse selection of people meet to create a unique blend of cultures. River cruisers meander past, offering leisurely tours and dinner rides along a 1.5-mile stretch.

Whether you prefer history, sightseeing or modern attractions, the city of San Antonio caters to all tastes. The San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, one of the few urban national parks in the country, presents the Spanish frontier missions, which were part of a colonization system that stretched across the Spanish Southwest in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. A tour of the historic Mission San Antonio Valero, better known as the Alamo, reveals Texas heroes such as Davy Crockett and William B. Travis. Visitors are led through a museum, shrine and courtyard as they remember the historic battle between 189 Alamo defenders and 1,800 Mexican troops in Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s army. In its 819 acres, the park also hosts Missions San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, San Francisco de la Espada, and Concepción that contain many cultural and natural sites.

The Spanish Governor’s Palace was the seat of government in 1749 when San Antonio was the capital of the Spanish Province of Texas and served as the residence of the local presidio captain. Tourists can explore the ornate rooms, large patio and the one-story masonry structure that was built in Spanish Colonial style.

Built in 1731, Mission Concepción was originally home to religious festivals held by the friars who lived there, but now stands as a museum and exhibit hall of San Antonio’s religious heritage. It features exhibits of the original wall and ceiling paintings.

La Villita Historic Arts Village is located on the south bank of the San Antonio River. As San Antonio’s first neighborhood, it was home for Spanish soldiers and their families, who were stationed at the Alamo, and provides modern-day visitors with the opportunity to stroll through shops that reflect the flavor of the city. On July 21, the first day of the conference, La Villita will feature its monthly Third Thursday Art Walk featuring numerous art galleries.

At the Rivercenter Mall, visitors can shop through many floors or view movies like “Alamo, the Price of Freedom” on a six-story screen at the IMAX Theater.

Market Square, San Antonio’s original Mexican marketplace, features 32 craft stores and small shops as well as the Farmers Market Plaza. It is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For an aerial view of the entire city, visitors can explore the Tower of the Americas in HemisFair Park. At a height of 750 feet, the tower offers a panoramic view of San Antonio and the surrounding area. After ascending by glass elevator, visitors can dine at the restaurant there or spend time on the observation deck. As the theme structure of the 1968 HemisFair, the Tower of the Americas symbolizes the progress made by the convergence of civilizations in the Western Hemisphere.

The historic Brackenridge Golf Course provides an 18-hole haven for golfers. It was recently inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame as the original site of the PGA Winter Tour and is located five miles away from the hotel. The course opened in 1916 and the Texas Open Golf Tournament was played on the course from 1922 until 1959. A recent addition to the golf scene in San Antonio is the Palmer Course at La Cantera.

Near downtown are the San Antonio Zoo at Brackenridge Park, the Botanical Gardens, the Sunken Gardens, several museums and the King William and Monte Vista historical districts.

The San Antonio Botanical Gardens and Conservatory, a 33-acre horticultural facility, features the flora of Texas, ranging from the wildflowers and traditional bluebonnets of the Hill Country to the rose gardens of East Texas. Exotic plants from all over the world can be found in the indoor collection. The Sunken Gardens present lush Japanese gardens preserved in a natural setting.

Since San Antonio was one of the first cities in the region to become preservation-conscious, much of the original architecture still stands from the early days of development, defining the Native American, Hispanic, German and Southern Anglo-American cultures. The King William and Monte Vista historic districts neighborhood restoration efforts are home to many landmarks and homes, preserved from the 1800s.

One of these homes is the Guenther House. Built in 1860 by German immigrants at the foot of the King William district, the home represents the German influence in the city. Directly behind it is the historic Pioneer Flour Mill. The Mill and the house have been restored for use as a museum, restaurant and retail store.

In the historic St. Paul district, Sunset Station offers the experience of Hispanic and South Texas culture in downtown San Antonio. During a self-paced walking tour, visitors can explore the district and its turn-of-the-century architecture. Free evening shuttle service or transportation via the yellow trolley is available.

The San Antonio Museum of Art, located in the former Anheuser-Busch brewery, displays Greek and Roman antiquities, Asian art, Latin American and folk art, Texas art and other American paintings. Besides exhibits, the museum offers poetry readings, concerts, storytelling, dance performances, lectures and art workshops for its visitors as well as a 2.5-acre sculpture garden.

For family fun, check out Fiesta Texas and Sea World. Fiesta Texas is a $100 million, 201-acre family musical and entertainment theme park. Sister-park to Six Flags over Texas, Fiesta Texas offers roller coasters, games and shows for all ages. Sea World in San Antonio is the largest marine-life theme park in the world. Throughout the park, visitors can view the many aquariums, open-air shows and rides.

So mark your calendar and call TAFP or register online at www.tafp.org. Attending TAFP’s 56th Annual Session and Scientific Assembly is as easy as coming home.