Representatives of the American Academy of Family Physicians (www.aafp.org) will hold a press conference at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., on December 14 to discuss the role of family physicians in the dealing with the threat of bioterrorism. The program is hosted by the National Press Club.

Warren A. Jones, MD, president of AAFP, and Jonathan Temte, MD, PhD, associate professor, University of Wisconsin, are the featured speakers. Jones will discuss the role of family physicians at the crossroads of health care and bioterrorism, and the work of the Academy in helping its members and the public stay updated on the symptoms and treatment of diseases used in bioterrorism. Temte will discuss the science behind diseases used as bioterrorist agents.

Jones, a family physician and retired Captain in the U.S. Navy, served as medical director of the TRICARE Military Health Program and has a first-hand perspective on bioterrorism. Jones is currently professor of family medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, and assistant professor of family medicine at Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

Temte, also a family physician, has researched infectious disease and the role of family physicians in monitoring disease outbreaks. He is a member of the Pandemic Influence Surveillance Working Group of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chair of the Wisconsin Influenza Pandemic Planning Executive Committee, and medical director of Wingra Family Medical Center.

For more information, please call Maureen Maxwell at (202) 232-9033.