Donor Profile:
Jennifer Jeffries, MD
Carrying on her parents’ legacy of supporting family medicine
Growing up, Jennifer Jeffries, MD, MPH, ABFM, was told by her parents — both family physicians — that family medicine is important and that America needs more family doctors.
“So there wasn’t a lot of question in my mind what specialty I was going to go into,” she said. “But in addition to that, I like the family medicine philosophy that I can take care of 97 percent of the patient’s needs. I can take care of the whole family.”
Jeffries’ parents practiced in rural New Hampshire, as well as Maine, New York and Wisconsin. “Then they started a family practice residency in Medford (Mass.), just outside of Boston,” she said.
Jennifer Jeffries, MD, MPH, ABFM
Both parents were active in the AAFP. At a state level, they attended meetings and got involved in CME programming. They also supported Boston University medical students interested in pursuing family medicine, both by teaching in the residency and by sponsoring their attendance at the AAFP’s National Conference (now FUTURE) through the Foundation’s Family Medicine Leads (FM Leads) scholarship program. In addition, Jeffries’ mother, Dr. Jeanne Arnold, became AAFP’s second female board member (and first elected one).
An AAFP member since medical school, Jeffries has regularly attended FMX. But after her parents passed away, she wanted to honor their commitment to family medicine and knew it should involve the AAFP Foundation.
She initially made a donation in their memory. Then, after moving her own practice from New Hampshire to Norwich, Ontario, Jeffries worked with the AAFP Foundation to establish the Drs. Peter F. Jeffries and Jeanne F. Arnold Fund, which continues her parents’ tradition of supporting medical student scholarships.
Though she now lives in Canada, Jeffries is “still an American” and says, “America is in my heart.” The AAFP Foundation’s commitment to fueling students’ interest in family medicine aligns with her own investment in the future of family medicine. She believes in supporting FM Leads scholarships, especially at a time when students are concerned about paying off debts and wondering if family medicine is the right path.
“It’s very important that medical students see that family medicine is a viable specialty and that we have a lot to add. You’re definitely going to enjoy your work and be making a big contribution,” she said.
Jeffries added that if you don’t have the capacity to support a student scholarship, perhaps you can have medical students or residents in your practice or even talk to kids at the local elementary school about what it’s like to be a doctor, to help them feel more comfortable with their family physician.
Find information about ways to donate to the AAFP Foundation.
Drs. Jeanne F. Arnold and Peter F. Jeffries