Looking Back, Moving Forward

As we look into our past, we remember where we’ve been, and aspire to a better future for Ohio’s family physicians.

Originally founded in 1948 as the Ohio Academy of General Practice, to maintain the highest-quality standards for family physicians who were providing comprehensive healthcare to the public, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) was among the first, and is still considered today, one of the largest and strongest chapters of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Every member who joins the OAFP brings different experiences and reasons for why they choose or decided to practice family medicine. From the aspiring medical student who hopes to one day open their own practice, to the experienced family physician paving the way; the OAFP serves to educate, advocate, and advance family medicine and healthcare for all Ohioans.

To learn first-hand about the importance of family medicine and the OAFP, read members’ reflections on their journey to Finding Family Medicine; watch personal stories that capture our family physician, family medicine resident, and medical student members in the 75th Anniversary Family Medicine Story video series; browse the OAFP’s historical timeline dating back to the late 1940s; and review our 2023-26 Strategic Plan, which will guide the Academy to meet the current and future needs of its diverse membership.

If you’re not a member of the OAFP, get to know us by visiting the “About Us” page where we highlight our core values and guiding principles as to what has brought us here today and where we hope to be in the future.

Share Your Story!

We need your family medicine story to continue to highlight our members and tell the story of family medicine! To have your story published, please send it as a Word or plain text document between 200-1,000 words along with at least two photos to Director of Membership Engagement Emily Pavoni.