• AAFP Foundation Announces
    Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leader Institute 2023 Scholars

    July 24, 2023

    The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation selected 30 new scholars to join this year's Emerging Leader Institute, which is designed to grow the family medicine specialty and provide scholars with valuable leadership experience.

    The selected residents receive a $1,000 scholarship to attend the AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students in Kansas City on July 27-29, where they will learn more about family medicine, explore residency programs, make connections and learn about leadership opportunities with the Student and Resident Congress. The scholars then continue learning and networking after the conference through additional programming and in-depth workshops on policy, public health, philanthropy and more.

    “We’re excited to welcome these outstanding residents and medical students to the Emerging Leader Institute,” said David R. Smith, MD, MPH, FAAFP, president of the AAFP Foundation Board of Trustees. “These scholars have demonstrated tremendous leadership potential and exemplify what we all look for in a family physician: compassion, curiosity and looking to make positive changes in their communities. We look forward to seeing their contributions to the family medicine specialty.”

    The program identifies and trains family medicine residents and medical students who have shown strong leadership potential but have little formal leadership training or experience. The program, now in its ninth year, continues to generate interest from a rich pool of applicants.

    At the end of the one-year program, the leadership projects are evaluated, and an additional $1,000 award is given to select recipients, allowing them to present their winning projects at the 2024 AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students. Finally, one Best Leadership Project Award will be named for each of the three tracks, and the recipients will receive an additional $3,000 award for participation in a designated major event related to the track.