August 4, 2025
This past June, the Family Medicine Interest Groups (FMIGs) at both the Univ. of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and the Wake Forest University (WFU) School of Medicine received the Program Excellence award from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Representatives from both programs received the awards during the AAFP FUTURE conference in Kansas City, MO, this past weekend.
The Program of Excellence award honors the interest groups whose members “encourage student interest in family medicine and family medicine programming,” according to the AAFP description. Both the UNC and WFU groups did exactly that.
“Our FMIG worked to expand our group’s reach, programming, and impact,” says UNC FMIG coordinator Kayla Bonnell. “Through these efforts, we’ve aimed to make the FMIG a welcoming, hands-on, and mission-driven space for students to explore Family Medicine and grow as future leaders in primary care.” The UNC FMIG also received this award in 2024. Bonnell says the group earned this national recognition for the second straight year by expanding its volunteer opportunities, increasing engagement with third- and fourth-year students, and involving more pre-health undergraduate students. “We have highlighted the specialty’s breadth through panels, lectures, and summer opportunity showcases,” Bonnell says.
The WFU group has done similar work in the past year. “Through interactive interest fairs, engaging lunch talks, and strategic tabling outside exam halls, we create meaningful opportunities for students to connect with the specialty,” says WFU faculty advisor Dr. Michelle Keating.
Through these activities and other ways of demonstrating the diverse clinical skills of Family Medicine, the WFU FMIG has been able “to spark early interest and sustained engagement by showcasing the full scope and impact of Family Medicine throughout a medical career,” as Dr. Keating says. “Our FMIG leaders, Jaelen King and Samantha Aloysius, have been amazing leaders,” she adds. “They are truly passionate for expanding Family Medicine exposure and experiences within the school of medicine and the Winston-Salem community!”
One of the key pillars of the NCAFP is preparing the next generation of family physicians in North Carolina. That’s why we welcome this great news for both the UNC and WFU student groups. These medical student leaders are introducing their peers to the fulfilling work of Family Medicine. They also lead their group members to join NCAFP activities like the training workshops at Family Medicine Day, our summer precepting programs, and NCAFP Board or committee involvement.
Congratulations to the students, faculty, and advisors who have advanced Family Medicine at UNC and Wake Forest!
*A version of this article appears in the Summer 2025 edition of The North Carolina Family Physician magazine.
