The 2020 Winter Family Physicians Weekend: A Family Tradition with a Twist

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

By Kathryn Atkinson, CMP Manager, NCAFP Meetings & Events

~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~

Due to the ongoing concerns of Covid-19, the 2020 Winter Family Physicians Weekend will be hosted via a fantastic two-day live webcast instead of the usual in-person conference at the Omni Grove Park Inn. While we will certainly miss seeing you in person, and the smell of gingerbread wafting through the air, the NCAFP CME team embraces this opportunity to delight you with an engaging and interactive virtual-only experience this December.

Mark your calendars now and make plans to join us virtually, from the comfort and safety of your preferred location, on Friday, December 4th, from approximately 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and on Saturday, December 5th, from approximately 8:00 am to 4:15 pm. For those interested, plan to join us for a pre-conference virtual KSA opportunity on Palliative Care on the evening of Thursday, December 3rd, from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm. This revised schedule of high-quality programming means attendees can anticipate earning approximately 20+ CME credits by their participation in the pre-conference KSA workshop and the main stage general sessions. It is important to note; the CME sessions will only be available over the conference dates. The virtual sessions will not be recorded for later on-demand viewing.

With this fresh new approach to everyone’s favorite annual tradition, we are committed to providing you with the same informative and inspiring conference experience that has always made this capstone event so popular. Count on our trademark of timely general sessions, led by first-rate faculty, complete with real-time audience polling, and live Q&A sessions each day. Program Chair Victoria Kaprielian, MD, and Vice-Program Chair, Jay Patel, MD, have selected a slate of topics that is guaranteed to support your commitment to providing the best possible care to your patients. Tentative topics include HCV, osteoarthritis and low back pain, diabetic kidney disease, obesity management, depression, chronic heart failure, migraine, HPV, reproductive health, pediatric asthma, lung cancer, and much more.

Because the serendipitous conversations with your colleagues and friends are often the best parts of this

annual tradition, we are working to provide fun, creative ways for members to still engage with one another during the virtual conference. We are also exploring exciting exhibit hall and sponsor platforms that will allow you to connect and network with other industry professionals. Watch our conference website at www. ncafp.com/wfpw and your email for exciting updates coming soon.

We realize that gathering with family and friends at the Omni Grove Park Inn for the Winter Weekend each December is a long-standing tradition. For many, it is hard to imagine a December that does not include relaxing in rocking chairs and sipping gourmet hot chocolate in the hotel’s Great Hall after a fun day of informative and engaging CME. Well, if December without a visit to the Grove Park Inn seems unbearable to you, we have great news! The Omni Grove Park Inn has graciously agreed to provide a small block of rooms at the NCAFP’s discounted rate of $260 - $320 per night (depending on room type) beginning Thursday, December 3rd through Sunday, December 6th, 2020. Imagine waking up in your guest room at the Grove Park Inn, opening the curtains to those beautiful mountain views, ordering room service, and logging in on your laptop to join our fantastic virtual CME sessions; while relaxing in a Grove Park Inn bathrobe! If this sounds like your perfect virtual CME conference weekend, consider reserving your sleeping room early by calling the Grove Park Inn at 800-438-5800 and requesting the NCAFP Winter Weekend Room Block. Rooms are limited, and the block will likely sell out before the cutoff date of Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, 2020.

The NCAFP is committed to providing you with the best meeting experience possible during this year’s cyber-conference. We are confident that this year’s annual “family tradition with a twist” is still the one CME opportunity that you will not want to miss. If you have never attended the Winter Weekend because of travel concerns, budget restrictions, or scheduling conflicts, this is the perfect opportunity to join us for our brand of timely and engaging CME from wherever you are. Visit our conference site at www.ncafp. com/wfpw for discounted attendee rates, online registration, schedule information, and other important conference updates. Online registration is scheduled to open in mid-September, 2020.

On behalf of the NCAFP, thank you for what you continue to do every day within your communities. We miss gathering with you in-person, but we remain optimistic that better days are coming soon. Please continue to be safe and stay healthy. We appreciate you, and we cannot wait to see you again. Please contact Kathryn Atkinson, CMP, Manager of Meetings & Events, at katkinson@ncafp.com, with any questions you may have about this year’s virtual Winter Family Physicians Weekend.