During this holiday season, we’re reflecting on all that we are thankful for here at the OAFP Foundation (Foundation). Through monetary donations, in-kind gifts, or time spent precepting a medical student, we are thankful for all of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians members who have made a difference this year. On Giving Tuesday, we are sharing our 2022 successes and the chance to support Foundation programming as we head into the next year.
The Foundation works to cultivate student career choice in the specialty of family medicine and ensure a thriving family physician workforce for Ohio. Foundation programs have benefited thousands of Ohio medical students and residents through preceptorship stipends, event scholarships, and programming to provide meaningful, family medicine-focused experiences. Without our donors, corporate partners, regional chapters, and friends, the Foundation’s mission to cultivate student career choice in the specialty of family medicine would not be possible.
- 79 first-year medical students participated in the Leroy A. Rodgers, MD, Preceptorship Program
- 2 medical students served as delegates to the National Congress of Student Members
- 2 family medicine residents served as delegates to the National Congress of Family Medicine Residents
- 4 medical students received scholarships to attend the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference of Family Medicine Residents & Medical Students (National Conference)
- 70 medical students and residents attended the Ohio Reception at National Conference
- 41 medical students attended the Ohio Family Medicine Residency Program Meet and Greet series.
The Leroy A. Rodgers, MD, Preceptorship Program had a record-breaking 79 student participants this year! Family physicians from around the state shared their time and expertise with the next generation of the specialty. Not only did these students complete their summer with an appreciation for the complexities of a career in family medicine, these mentors had the opportunity to renew their joy in medicine by witnessing the everyday practice experiences through fresh eyes.
Participants in this year’s Preceptorship Program and National Conference shared the following:
Aric Adams, Leroy A. Rodgers, MD, Preceptorship Program, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine – OMS – 1
“This experience was wonderful. I was able to begin to understand the breadth of family medicine and how impactful it is to the community. Being involved with such a small practice with just a single provider in a rural community truly elevated my experience and my view of family medicine. We saw whole families and all their friends, neighbors of the physician, and people who drive from over an hour away just to have quality care. Throughout this whole experience, I learned how significant the role of family medicine is to the face of healthcare. There are so many worries and questions that get fielded by primary care physicians that truly make a difference in patients’ lives.”
Lindsey Colvin, Leroy A. Rodgers, MD, Preceptorship Program, Northeast Ohio Medical University – M2
“The Leroy A. Rodgers, MD, Preceptorship Program was my first significant clinical experience, and the program was a wonderful way to gain clinical experience while also learning how to apply my medical knowledge. The clinical experience that I gained throughout the four-week program was invaluable and had a significant impact on my medical education. As a result of the program, I am more confident in my abilities as a future physician and further convinced of my interest in primary care and family medicine. I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to participate in the program.”
Dru Martinez, OAFP Foundation National Conference Scholarship Recipient, The Ohio State University College of Medicine – M4
“Thank you so much to the donors at the Foundation who contributed to the AAFP National Conference scholarship fund! I am so thankful that I was able to attend the conference, and it was because of you! National conference far exceeded my expectations. It was seriously such a valuable experience: I saw a new city; met so many students, residents and family doctors; attended many lectures; got involved in a new AAFP member interest group; connected with my favorite residency programs; and gained a lot of inspiration and motivation from being a part of the family medicine community! It made me proud to be going into family medicine! Additionally, I feel so much more prepared for residency applications after the conference, and I’m not sure where I’d be if without all the connections and preparation I received in Kansas City. Thank you again for making this all a possibility for me!”
Haley Coleman, MD, Ohio Alternate Delegate to the AAFP Resident Congress, Summa Family Medicine Program – PGY3
“Overall, I would recommend this experience to any resident or student that would like to learn more about the process in which members of the AAFP guide the organization in their research, advocacy, and funding efforts. Not all states had representatives chosen for or in attendance of the congress. We are fortunate in Ohio to have a strong academy that has a significant presence in the AAFP and in advocacy for family medicine. These opportunities are important to create pipelines for future leaders of family medicine and to give future physicians a perspective on how their voices can be amplified. I had a wonderful time connecting with our state chapter constituents at the OAFP reception and chatting with members of the OAFP Board of Directors and staff to discuss ideas on how to continue to provide and inspire these type of opportunities for students and residents starting their career.”
Medical students and residents across Ohio continually show how they value family medicine and are working hard to become outstanding physicians for their communities. Will you join us on Giving Tuesday and support the Foundation’s efforts to support them?
You can make your donation online today or mail a check to the OAFP Foundation, 4075 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43214.
On behalf of the Foundation, its trustees, and all of the medical students and residents who benefitted from Foundation support this year, we wish you, your family, and friends a happy and safe holiday season. Thank you for supporting the OAFP Foundation and the family medicine specialty!
For more information on donations or the Foundation, please contact Deputy Executive Vice President Kaitlin McGuffie or call 800.742.7327.
To learn more about Foundation programming and ways you can help continue the success, check out the online shopping connections below or visit the Foundation website.
AmazonSmile and iGive
The Foundation is a registered charity with AmazonSmile and iGive – providing you with two easy ways to support the Foundation during your holiday shopping.
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the Foundation every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible purchases to the Foundation.
By signing up at www.iGive.com/OAFPF and shopping online at the 2000+ participating retail establishments, a percentage of your purchase(s) will be donated to the Foundation – and your shopping donations are tax deductible! Merchants associated with iGive are not remote, online “trunk stores,” but rather they include retailers such as Amazon, Macy’s, The Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, Expedia, Orbitz, Barnes & Noble, Staples, QVC, JCPenney, and many, many more.