Ohio Academy of Family Physicians chapter leaders met in Kansas City, MO, April 23-25, for the American Academy of Family Physicians’ (AAFP) National Conference of Constituency Leaders (NCCL) and the Annual Chapter Leader Forum (ACLF).
Ohio’s official delegates to NCCL, AAFP’s premier policy development event for underrepresented constituencies, included:
- Konstantinos Demertzis, MD – International Medical Graduate Physician Representative
- Tamara Huson, MD – BIPOC Physician Representative
- Marisa Iaderosa, MD – Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Physician Representative
- Sachin Jindal, MD – New Physician Representative
- Rachel Kalthoff, MD – Woman Physician Representative
- Hemalatha Senthilkumar, MD and Haley Coleman, MD – Emerging Leaders
A special congratulations to Dr. Iaderosa who was elected by peers to serve as GLBT co-convener at the 2027 NCCL. Several of Ohio’s NCCL delegates participated in the special constituency election process to fill various national-level leadership positions – each did a tremendous job!
In addition, Adeola Fakolade, MD, MPH, FAAFP, served as IMG co-convener.
ACLF is the AAFP’s leadership development program for chapter-elected leaders, aspiring leaders, and chapter staff. Ohio members in attendance included:
- Roma Amin, MD, FAAFP – Treasurer; Alternate Delegate to the Congress of Delegates) COD
- Jaividhya Dasarathy, MD, FAAFP – President-elect; Alternate Delegate to the COD
- Mary Krebs, MD, FAAFP – President; Delegate to the COD
- Cody Klinker, MD and Nikhil Kurapati, MD, MPH – Emerging Leaders
- Elisabeth Righter, MD, FAAFP – Delegate to the COD
- Heidi Yount, MD, FAAFP – Speaker
Other notable Ohioans in attendance include:
- Gary LeRoy, MD, FAAFP, an Ohio member who is currently serving at the American Board of Family Medicine’s Senior Vice President
- Renee Markovich, MD, FAAFP, an Ohio member who is currently serving as AAFP Foundation President
- Sarah Sams, MD, FAAFP, an Ohio member who is currently serving on the AAFP Board of Directors
- Staff members in attendance included Executive Vice President Kate Mahler, CAE; Deputy Executive Vice President Kaitlin McGuffie; Director of Member Engagement Emily Pavoni; and Director of Communications Lauren Heberling.
Programming highlights of NCCL and ACLF included:
- Breakout sessions on non-profit governance, AI integrity, membership communications, social media strategies, and much more
- Physicians took part in a two-part listening session to share their leadership journey and explain the best practices of alignment between the chapters and the AAFP.
- A Town Hall discussion with AAFP’s elected leaders and an open discussion on exploring trust and healthcare policy in a polarized climate with Noam Levey, senior correspondent for KFF Health News.
- The OAFP staff participated in several onsite meetings with the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) and the AAFP Foundation Family Medicine Chapter Alliance.
- Ohio attendees enjoyed a networking dinner to connect and share in their conference experiences.
A recap of NCCL highlights and business outcomes can be found on the AAFP website.