THE FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCES IN MEDICINE AND SCIENCE (FAMS)

A Profile 2009

Introduction

The Foundation for Advances in Medicine and Science (FAMS) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization which gathers and disseminates medical and scientific information.

Its mission is to advance medicine and science worldwide via the exchange of knowledge and information. FAMS accomplishes this mission by sponsoring conferences, holding educational seminars and publishing scientific books and monographs.

Serving on the Board of Directors are Tony Bourgholtzer, M.A., Mahwah, New Jersey; Alan Boyde, Ph.D., London; A.J. Camm, M.D., F.R.C.P., F.A.C.C., London; C. Richard Conti, M.D., Gainesville, Florida; J. Willis Hurst, M.D., Atlanta, Georgia; David G. Howitt, Ph.D., Davis, California; David C. Joy, Ph.D., Knoxville, Tennessee; and William P. Wergin, Ph.D., Adelphi, Maryland.

Current Programs

FAMS cooperates with Chain of Hope (www.chainofhope.org), a registered charity in the United Kingdom, which treats cardiac disease and provides cardiac surgery for children from countries where services do not exist.

The Future

The future holds many challenges for FAMS. New symposia directed toward health professionals in the area of interpreting patient education materials are planned. Existing materials are evaluated for use by those who speak English as a second language. One of FAMS’ priorities is to secure funding for the establishment of a model distribution system to make information concerning readability analysis available to those producing and distributing educational materials for the patient and caregivers in the U.S. and developing countries.