Member of the Month: Ben Galichia, MD

The road to family medicine wasn’t necessarily a straight line for Ben Galichia, MD, which is exactly what makes his journey so compelling. Originally a Spanish major, he spent a few years working as a patient care tech and anesthesia tech while preparing for medical school before earning his spot at UT Southwestern. From there, he completed a family medicine residency at JPS in Fort Worth, where he also did a surgical family medicine and obstetrics fellowship, building a strong foundation in full-spectrum care. After training, his journey took him far beyond Texas, including time traveling abroad, serving at a mission hospital in Tanzania, and working rural ER shifts west of Fort Worth. Now, he’s stepped into his first full-time attending role at Texoma Medical Center, where he’s helping launch an FMOB service within the residency program, bringing together his passion for obstetrics, global health, and serving communities with limited access to care.

Who or what inspired you to become a family physician?
I think growing up in my family's antique shop is probably what most inspired me to become a family doc. We've had people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and types come through our doors over the 30+ years I've spent in the shop. Watching my parents listen to, learn from, and interact gracefully with them and navigate all sorts of conversation types and lifestyles really suited me to be a full-spectrum family medicine doctor. Both are definitely all about developing relationships with people, and in my work, I just add in the medical knowledge part. In both though, you have to be ready for whatever walks through the door. Shameless plug — Country Garden Antiques in Dallas — check them out!

Tell us about your experiences with global health and how that became a passion of yours.
Ah yes, my global health obsession... I think it honestly mostly stems from growing up quite poor in a violent part of Oak Cliff, in Dallas. I grew up seeing a lot of unpolished in-your-face things, and it inspired me to try to do something greater with the one life I've been given. Part of that became traveling and getting out there in the world, which made me realize there are levels of need that I didn't imagine existed!

One of my favorite stories is from last year in Tanzania, when the local physician, Dr. Moses, and myself had just finished rounding on the pediatric unit at Bwambo Hospital. A mother brought her four-year-old child up for discharge. He was crying because he had never seen a white person before and was scared of me. When we pulled out his IV, he wiped his tears and blurted out, "Asante babu albino," which means, "Thank you, albino grandfather." Haha!

Global health moments like these can really humble anyone, remind us to not take ourselves too seriously, and remind us of our common humanity in ways that are much more basic than what we experience in the U.S.

In your current position, you are working to expand the OB training at Texoma - why do you think it's significant that family docs have extended OB training?
Obstetrics-capable family doctors are filling crucial gaps throughout Texas. In a state that is hemorrhaging OBs, many communities, especially more rural ones, are left with no maternal care options.

What we are seeing here in the Sherman-Denison area is an incredible number of women who cannot get an OB appointment for multiple months out and are resorting to either having zero prenatal care and hoping for the best or having occasional ER visits as their only interaction with the health care system prior to going into labor. What we hope to do is in the short term to help fill those gaps, and in the long term to train up more family doctors to continue to change that need. Being able to provide both vaginal and cesarean deliveries as a family doctor — and then to be able to care for the newborn and follow the child as they grow up — is an incredibly fulfilling privilege, and I hope that more family doctors get to experience what a rush that is. As family doctors we are often in unique positions to reach some of society's most vulnerable people, and my training by my amazing teachers at JPS has taught me that providing excellent obstetrical care is a way that family doctors can change lives and stick up for their communities.

Why do you choose to be a TAFP member?
I choose to be a TAFP member to constantly be plugged in to ways I can make my career and my calling about something bigger. It is an easy way to learn about what cool things are going on in the family medicine community, and what needs and opportunities are going unmet. Being part of TAFP also allows me to hold myself to a high academic and evidence-based standard.

What do you enjoy doing outside of medicine?
Outside of medicine I love doing black and white analog/film photography and developing my own prints in the darkroom. I also love traveling to off-the-beaten-path places around the world, experiencing and learning from other cultures, and being an active member of my church.

TAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights Texas family physicians in TAFP News Now and on the TAFP website. We feature a biography and a Q&A with a different TAFP member each month and his or her unique approach to family medicine. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month or if you’d like to tell your own story, nominate yourself or your colleague by contacting TAFP by email at tafp@tafp.org or by phone at (512) 329-8666.