August 9, 2023
At the end of July, two NCAFP staff members joined Family Medicine faculty, residents, and students at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference in Kansas City, MO. Executive Vice President and CEO Greg Griggs and Workforce Initiatives Manager Perry Price spent July 27-29 at what Greg calls “one of the most energizing conferences that Family Medicine does each year.”
“National Conference is a great opportunity for medical students,” says Perry. “They can learn from leaders in our specialty, network with their peers from across the county, and spend time with our awesome Family Medicine Residency programs!”
Beginning the afternoon of July 27, the Family Medicine residency booths on display in the National Conference Expo Hall became one of the main attractions. Fourteen residencies from North Carolina set up their booths and showcased their opportunities to the medical students who attended the conference. Each booth brought several residents and faculty members, since they are exactly the family physicians to recruit future Family Medicine residents to North Carolina. “They were talking to medical students from all over the country about how great it is to train and practice in North Carolina,” says Greg.
“It was great being able to speak to each of the residency programs to better understand the scope of family medicine that they practice, as well as how they serve their communities,” says Neil Cornwell, a medical student member from UNC.
Over 1,440 medical students and over 1,300 residents attended the National Conference, according to the AAFP. These attendees not only visited the hundreds of residency booths but also attended medical and professional workshops. “There’s a lot of learning going on,” Greg says. “They can walk around learn about residency programs from all over the country. But of course, we’d like to have everyone right here in North Carolina.”
Several NCAFP student members say they learned both the big picture and small details of Family Medicine when they attended. UNC medical student Evans Lodge says he learned more about “the depth and breadth of family medicine practice across the country” at the conference. “It was an amazing opportunity to learn more about how different people practice to best serve their communities,” he says.
Duke medical student Roshini Srinivasan adds that she enjoyed learning about breastfeeding techniques at the conference. “Breastfeeding medicine is a burgeoning field,” she says, “led by Family Physicians who are uniquely at the forefront!”
Greg also mentioned that the North Carolina residencies’ section of the Expo Hall received plenty of student traffic: “It really makes you feel good about the caliber of faculty and residents we have in North Carolina, seeing all the traffic they had,” he says.
Elections for over a dozen national leadership roles also happened during the National Conference, according to the AAFP. These included seven new leaders in resident positions and six new leaders for student positions. The AAFP Board of Directors will be confirming these elections in the coming weeks.
“We are so excited about the diversity this class of elected leaders brings to the AAFP,” said Vice President of Medical Education Dr. Karen Mitchell. “These leaders bring a variety of backgrounds, identities and experiences that will strengthen the AAFP policies and priorities they help shape.”
The NCAFP was grateful to be represented by its own strong leaders in both the student and resident congresses. Colleen Yang, a Campbell medical student, served as our Delegate in the student congress, and Dr. Dewonna Ferguson, a resident at Duke, served as the North Carolina delegate to the resident congress.
“There’s space for everyone to discover their own path,” says Perry. “There isn’t a comparable experience. Every medical student interested in Family Medicine should make an effort to go at least once.”
NCAFP member and UNC medical student Christina Frederick agrees: “I continue to be blown away by the reach family docs have!” she says.
The North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Inc. (NCAFP) is a nonprofit professional association headquartered in Raleigh which represents over 4,300 family physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students across the state. It is the largest medical specialty association in North Carolina and is a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, based in Leadwood, KS.