The History of the Scientific Assembly

The American Academy of General Practice (later renamed the American Academy of Family Physicians) held its first Scientific Assembly in 1949 in Cincinnati, Ohio. AAGP officials were unsure of how many attendees to expect at this first convention. They were pleasantly overwhelmed by more than 2,500 physicians eager to attend the meeting. Dr. Stanley R. Truman, President of the AAGP in 1950-51, described that first annual meeting in his book The History of the Founding of the American Academy of General Practice (1969):

"....Those attending CROWDED the meeting halls, stood through the scientific sessions, and so overwhelmed the speakers with their eagerness and enthusiasm that the word spread around the country that nothing like this had ever been seen or heard of before."

Over the years, the Scientific Assembly continued to grow in size and stature. The images below give a sense of how much the meeting has changed -- and stayed the same.

Each program cover will take you to a link with a photograph from that Assembly year.