Leon Norman Zoghlin, MD, a family physician from Hilton, was recently honored for 40 years of membership in the American Academy of Family Physicians. The AAFP is the national medical association representing more than 93,100 family physicians, family practice residents and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical specialty organization devoted solely to primary care.

The AAFP and the New York AFP recognized Dr. Zoghlin and all of the long-term members whose many years of caring for and involvement in their communities have contributed to the prominent position family physicians occupy in today's health-care system.

The AAFP, founded in 1947, was instrumental in establishing the medical specialty of family practice in 1969. The organization pioneered the requirement that its members earn 150 hours of approved continuing medical education every three years. This ensures that family physicians remain educated on the most up-to-date medical technologies, research and techniques.

People choose family physicians because they are trained to treat a broad range of illnesses from coughs, ear infections, prenatal care and well baby exams to chest pain, diabetes and hypertension.