Building the Foundation of family medicine
By Kathy McCarthy, C.A.E., Executive Director, TAFP Foundation
The TAFP Foundation—the charitable arm of the Academy—has had an exciting year. This year, the Foundation was able to add another scholarship to its array of opportunities for future family physicians. As you can see in our cover story, longtime TAFP Executive Director and former TAFP Foundation Executive Director Jim White is retiring at the end of the year. TAFP’s current and past leaders gathered during Annual Session in Corpus Christi to celebrate Jim’s 25-year career with TAFP and to raise funds for the Jim and Karen White Leadership Scholarship. A special thank you to all the generous supporters of this new scholarship, listed below, especially Texas Medical Liability Trust and the Texas Medical Association for their sponsorship of the dinner.
The Foundation supports educational and scientific initiatives of family medicine to ensure a strong future for the specialty. Through research, travel funding and scholarships, the Foundation reaches out to the next generation of medical leaders to spread family medicine’s message and encourage the best and brightest to enter the specialty.
Research: The Foundation dedicates a portion of its annual budget to support practice-based research. Recently funded studies include “adolescent bone density in the immediate postpartum period,” “the effect of a competency-based clinical pharmacotherapy curriculum on medication errors and quality of care delivered by family medicine physicians” and “prevalence and correlates of high risk for obstructive sleep apnea amongst diabetics.”
Scholarships: An important way the Foundation supports the specialty is through scholarships for family medicine students and residents. Since its creation in 1994, the scholarship program has awarded more than $119,000 to future family physicians. Congratulations to the nine future family physicians who were awarded medical student scholarships this year. See the full list below.
Travel Funding: The TAFP Foundation provides travel funding for medical students and residents who seek exposure to family medicine so they may attend TAFP and AAFP meetings. More than 50 students received travel funding this year to attend state and national meetings.
Kristen Sorensen, a medical student from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, expressed her gratitude for travel support to the 2007 AAFP National Conference. “I am truly grateful for the opportunity to attend the AAFP National Conference,” Sorensen said, adding that she enjoyed “learning more about opportunities that exist within family medicine.”
Member support of the Foundation is crucial to its success. The generous contributions of individual TAFP members, corporate partners and friends, and the sale of the 2007 Annual Session commemorative pins enable the TAFP Foundation to continually develop and offer new scholarships, research opportunities and educational support. This year, the Foundation added a new donor level to the Cumulative Donor Recognition program. Leah Raye Mabry, M.D., is the first recipient of the newly created Pioneer level.
If you are not already a monthly donor, please consider becoming one today. Visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.tafp.org/Foundation for more information.
2007 TAFP Foundation scholarship recipients
Marisa Emmons, M.D. UTHSC San Antonio S. Perry Post, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship
Christy Lynn Drew UT Southwestern William F. Ross, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship
Trini J. Garza UT Southwestern Valley Chapter Medical Student Scholarship
Vannessa Salinas Baylor College of Medicine Valley Chapter Medical Student Scholarship
Kim Higgins, D.O. University of North Texas Health Science Center Arnold N. Krause, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship
Lauren Loftis, M.D. UT Southwestern Arnold N. Krause, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship
Allison Hulme Texas Tech University Norma Porres, M.D., and Felipe Porres, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship
Jessica Brady UT Houston Harold T. Pruessner, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship
Matt Cope Baylor College of Medicine Harold T. Pruessner, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship
Jim and Karen White
Supporters of the Jim and Karen White Leadership scholarship
Dinner Sponsors Texas Medical Liability Trust Texas Medical Association
Local Chapter Supporters Alamo Chapter Dallas Chapter Harris County Academy of Family Physicians Travis County Chapter
Other Supporters I.L. Balkcom, IV, M.D. Diana Ballesteros, M.D. Justin V. Bartos, M.D. Joane Baumer, M.D. Stephen D. Benold, M.D. Henry J. Boehm, Jr., M.D. Lillian Chan, M.D. C. Mark Chassay, M.D. Samuel T. Coleridge, D.O. Seth B. Cowan, M.D. Douglas Curran, M.D. Kenneth G. Davis, M.D. Lynda DeArmond, M.D. Tamra K. Deuser, M.D. Nancy Dickey, M.D. John and Nancy DiMaggio Jorge Duchicela, M.D. Dana Evans, M.D. Troy Fiesinger, M.D. Mitchell F. Finnie, M.D. Grant Fowler, M.D. Lewis Foxhall, M.D. Edwin R. Franks, M.D. Rafael Garza, M.D. Melissa Gerdes, M.D. Rebecca Gladu, M.D. Roland A. Goertz, M.D. T. David Greer, M.D. Gil Grimes, M.D. Ajay Gupta, M.D. Alicia Hart, M.D. Clare Hawkins, M.D. James M. Henderson, M.D. Harold R. High, M.D. Robert L. Hogue, M.D. Janet Hurley, M.D. Glen R. Johnson, M.D. Charles A. Jones, M.D. Larry Karrh, M.D. David Katerndahl, M.D. Art Klawitter, M.D. Shelley Kohlleppel, M.D. Kaparaboyna Ashok Kumar, M.D. W. Ross Lawler, M.D. Warren T. Longmire, Jr., M.D. Leah Raye Mabry, M.D. Jim and Debbie Maloney Javier D. Margo, Jr., M.D. James C. Martin, M.D. Kathy McCarthy John M. McCullough, M.D. Dorothy Mgebroff Presley Joe Mock, M.D. Dale C. Moquist, M.D. Mary Helen Morrow, M.D. Mary S. Nguyen Poole, M.D. Beverly Nuckols, M.D. Mario Ramirez, M.D. Shelley Roaten, M.D. George and Jenny Ruth Eduardo J. Sanchez, M.D. F. David Schneider, M.D. Linda M. Siy, M.D. Stephen Spann, M.D. Sam V. Stone Erica W. Swegler, M.D. Sheri J. Talley, M.D. Barbara L. Thompson, M.D. Lloyd Van Winkle, M.D. Jim and Karen White Walter Wilkerson, M.D. James R. Winn, M.D. David Wright, M.D. Robert A. Youens, M.D. Richard Young, M.D. Katie Youngblood, M.D.