December 7, 2023
During the Presidential Gala at the 2023 Winter Family Physicians Weekend on Dec. 2, 2023, the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians (NCAFP) installed its chapter leaders for 2024. The NCAFP inducted a total of 16 member physicians during the ceremony. The group included Dr. Garett Franklin as president, Dr. S. Mark McNeill as president-elect, and Dr. Benjamin “Frankie” Simmons as secretary-treasurer.
Dr. Karen L. Smith, a past NCAFP president and current American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Board Member, led the induction during the Gala. “Your peers have selected you for leadership positions for your service, initiative, and ability,” Dr. Smith told the leaders.
Dr. Franklin (pictured) took the stage beside Dr. Smith to take his oath as president. His wife, Linsi, and their two children joined him on the stage in a show of support and returned to their seats before Dr. Franklin’s speech.
He began his presidential address by describing his circuitous route to becoming a family physician, after he began as a chemical engineer before attending medical school at the Brody of School of Medicine at East Carolina University. “I fell in love with Family Medicine,” Dr. Franklin said, “because family physicians do it all. There is never a situation where Family Medicine isn’t relevant to patients.”
After describing his own background , Dr. Franklin pivoted to describe the future of Family Medicine and why he knows that NCAFP member physicians are equipped to meet it. “You are the Swiss Army knife of medicine,” Dr. Franklin said. “The next chapter is just step one.”
Dr. Franklin practices Family Medicine and sports medicine at Raleigh Medical Group/Cary Medical Group in Wake County, and he also works at NC State University as a team physician. He described how his work as a family physician informs his sports medicine work with NC State: “I’m a family doctor first, because Family Medicine is awesome.”
We are grateful for the service and commitment from the following NCAFP board members:
Dr. Garett Franklin, NCAFP President
Dr. S. Mark McNeill, NCAFP President-Elect
Dr. Benjamin “Frankie” Simmons, NCAFP Secretary-Treasurer
Dr. Shauna Guthrie, Immediate Past President
Dr. Josh Carpenter, At-Large Board Member (Second Term)
Dr. Deanna Didiano, At-Large Board Member (Second Term)
Dr. Amanda Steventon, At-Large Board Member (First Term)
Dr. Courtland Winbourne, At-Large Board Member (Second Term)
Dr. Aaron Lambert, Academic Board Member
Dr. Rich Lord, AAFP Delegate
Dr. Chuck Rich, AAFP Delegate
Dr. Thomas R. White, AAFP Alternate Delegate
Dr. Morgan Parker, Resident Director
Dr. Stephanie Wilcher, Resident Director-Elect
Evan Morgan, Student Director
Nicholas Wells, Student Director-Elect
During the State of the Academy and Award Lunch on Dec. 1, NCAFP Immediate Past President Dr. Shauna Guthrie inducted 36 new fellows during the Degree of Fellow Convocation ceremony. This degree recognizes AAFP members who have distinguished themselves by serving Family Medicine, advancing health care for their patients, and developing their skill and knowledge as family physicians. The 2023 class of fellows is the largest class of fellows the NCAFP has ever had the pleasure to induct, and we are honored to name them:
Susan Alexander, MD, DipABLM, FAAFP
Daniel Landon Allen, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAFP
Christina Elizabeth Anderson, MD, FAAFP
Regina Braxton Bray Brown, MD, FAAFP
Jonisha Raeshella Brown, MD, FAAFP
Tracy Bullard, MD, FAAFP
Puja Mayank Dalal, MD, FAAFP
Shari A. Del Do, MD, FAAFP
Stephen E. Erlandson, MD, FAAFP
Vickie Ann Fowler, MD, FAAFP
Garett Randall Franklin, MD, FAAFP
Kurt Frauenpreis, MD, FAAFP
Renee Goodison-Ollivierre, DO, FAAFP
Joseph Al Hodges, MD, FAAFP
Tonya Marie Hudson, MD, FAAFP
Eric C. Hunkele, MD, FAAFP
Ronnie Laney, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Brenda A. Latham-Sadler, MD, FAAFP
Justin Allen Lee, MD, FAAFP
Evan Andrew Lutz, MD, FAAFP
Homa Magsi, MD, FAAFP
Steven Mark Manning, MD, FAAFP
Llewellyn Fiifi Bortsi Mensah, MD, FAAFP
Nailah Safiya Adams Morancie, MD, MS, FAAFP
Christian Bradford Moretz, MD, FAAFP
Soenda E. Padmore Norman MD, FAAFP
Shirley Daikie Ocloo, MD, FAAFP
Tambetta Ntui Ojong, MD, FAAFP
Emily Peacock, MD, FAAFP
Appala Peela, MBBS, FAAFP
Kellner Pruett, MD, FAAFP
Gregory Edward Reichert, DO, FAAFP
Patricia A. Reichert, DO, FAAFP
Carmen Robinson, MD, FAAFP
Matthew Aaron Rushing, MD, MEd, FAAFP
Seyed A. Shahmehdi, MD, FAAFP
Stephen Daniel Sasser, MD, FAAFP
Janine Scott, MD, FAAFP
James R. Shaw, MD, FAAFP
Benjamin Franklyn Simmons, MD, FAAFP
Honnie Patricia Spencer, MD, FAAFP
Steven James Spivey, MD, FAAFP
Philip “Hunter” Spots, MD, FAAFP
Genevieve Verrastro, MD, FAAFP
Eric Lane Wilder, MD, FAAFP
Sharon Aberin Wolters, MD, FAAFP