07/19/17  Portland, Ore.

L to R: OHSU Family Medicine FMIG members, Ishak Elkhal, Cameron Davis, Annie Buckmaster, Brianna Muller, Rachel Laursen, and Skender Najibi proudly hold the group's Program of Excellence award.

The American Academy of Family Physicians has named 17 medical school Family Medicine Interest Groups (FMIGs) as the 2017 Program of Excellence Award winners for their outstanding activities in generating interest in family medicine. One of those programs is our very own OHSU FMIG!

FMIGs are medical school-sponsored, student- and faculty-run organizations that give medical students a chance to learn more about family medicine through regular meetings, workshops, leadership development opportunities, and community and clinical experiences.

The Program of Excellence Awards recognize FMIGs for their efforts to promote interest in family medicine and family medicine programming –10 for their overall performance and seven for collaboration, community service, promoting primary care and most improved FMIG.

"It is critical we continue to garner interest and attract students to the specialty of family medicine," said Clif Knight, M.D., senior vice president for education at the AAFP. "The physician shortage in primary care continues, and programs such as FMIGs are key to exposing students to real-world experiences that will help them dig deeper into - and ultimately choose - family medicine.

"The FMIGs we honor this year have gone above and beyond allowing students to put into practice the knowledge they've acquired in the classroom. These programs help students develop leadership skills that will serve them in their future practices and communities, and better understand the vital role that family medicine plays in our health care system."