Outstanding Program Award

The AAFP Foundation established the Outstanding Program Award to nationally recognize outstanding philanthropic activities of AAFP Chapters and Chapter Foundations. The Award is presented annually at the AAFP’s Scientific Assembly. 

The 2011 award was given to the California Academy of Family Physicians for its “Future Faces of Family Medicine” program. The program consisted of a 10-session curriculum that explored careers in medicine, with a specific focus on primary care. FFFM launched its first class of 20 disadvantaged high school students with interest in health careers. Students were nominated by their teachers, completed pre-program surveys, obtained parental/guardian permission to participate, and committed to all 10 sessions. At the end of the 10-week session, each student was paired with a practicing family physician in the community who provided continuing mentorship and shadowing experiences throughout the year. The Future Faces of Family Medicine program will be launched throughout California. The resident leaders at Sutter Sacramento and UC-Davis have committed to work with CAFP staff to develop a “FFFM In-a-Box” detailing the process, and to make the box and themselves available to any interested residency program in California. This program strongly reflects the AAFP Foundation’s mission of advancing the values of Family Medicine and improving the health of all people through educational initiatives.