Family Medicine Cares Resident Service Award

Established to create an opportunity to tackle the health needs of the underserved, this award is intended for family medicine residents who want to address health disparities in their local communities.

The $16,500 Family Medicine Cares Resident Service Award creates an opportunity for first-year and second-year Family Medicine Residents to fulfill a desire to address health disparities by tackling the health needs of the underserved in their local communities. Up to two awards will be presented annually.

The application period opens July 15 and closes September 30.

All first-year and second-year Family Medicine residents who are members of the AAFP are eligible to apply. The 12-month service project, January 1 – December 31, has the following requirements:

  • Resident must work with an organization that provides health care (e.g., free clinic, health department) to enhance services.

  • Project must address a health disparity in the community.

  • Project should have an enduring benefit to the patients and the community that will continue after the 12-month project period.

  • Resident must present at the AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students. This presentation will occur at the mid-point of the project and serves as an interim report.

  • In designing the project, emphasis should be placed on activities that will have an enduring benefit to the patients and the community after the 12-month project period.

It may be helpful to obtain input from the clinic's staff when designing the project.

We encourage all to apply and are committed to developing community projects addressing health disparities by Family Medicine residents who reflect the rich diversity of the specialty and the patients served.

Requirements

  • Read Family Medicine Cares Resident Service Award Guidelines.

  • Download and complete budget worksheet. Upload with application online.

  • Required Letters of Recommendation/Support:
    - Residency Director’s letter of recommendation.
    - Letter of recommendation from the Medical or Clinic Director where the project will be implemented.
    - Mentor’s letter of recommendation including agreement to assist with the project.
    - Letters must be typed, on letterhead, with a valid signature and uploaded with the online application.

  • Resident Reporting Deadlines & Presentation Requirements:
    - Interim Presentation at FUTURE (formerly National Conference): late July/early August.
    - Final Report (including brief video project summary): February 1.
    - End of Project Survey: March 1.

  • Clinic Reporting Requirements: End of Project Survey due January 1.

The application is open July 15 and closes September 30 at 11:59 pm. Apply through the online portal by clicking on the button below.
Apply now

Up to two Family Medicine Cares Resident Service Awards will be provided annually. The award totals $16,500 and contains the following elements:

  • $10,000 award will be provided to the resident whose service project is selected for funding. This funding is to be used by the resident only for costs directly related to the project. These may include: medical supplies (e.g., diabetes testing), equipment rental or purchase, software purchase or lease, patient education materials, communication expenses (e.g., postage, printing, office supplies), patient incentives/reimbursement, mileage/transportation (e.g., resident mileage), patient reimbursement, and personnel not employed by free clinic or health care facility (e.g., patient educators, substance abuse or peer counselors).

  • $5,000 award will be provided to the free clinic (or similar health care facility) where the service project is implemented.

  • $500 stipend will be given to the residency program to celebrate and recognize the resident who wins the Family Medicine Cares Resident Service Award.

  • $1,000 travel award reimbursement will be provided to the resident to attend the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students for the purpose of presenting the results of the project. Note: Registration fees for National Conference will be waived for speakers.

What the $10,000 Award to the Resident Will Not Fund

  • Indirect or overhead costs.

  • Travel to present findings at a professional meeting, conference or seminar. (Note: The $1,000 travel award reimbursement is provided in addition to the $10,000 award to the resident and must be used to attend AAFP's National Conference and present the project's results and findings.)

Resident Service Award recipients

2025

Dr. Katie Allan and Dr. Bridget Bunda

Dr. Katie Allan and Dr. Bridget Bunda are PGY-2s at Full Circle Health- Boise, Family Medicine Residency of Idaho. Dr. Allan’s and Dr. Bunda’s project, “Wound Care and Health Screenings for Unhoused People in Boise” will partner with Interfaith Sanctuary to address healthcare gaps for Boise’s population of unhoused individuals by 1) Increasing capacity for shelter-based wound care clinics through the purchase of additional supplies, 2) Broadening programming offering to include STI testing, and 3) Expanding services beyond the walls of the shelter to people staying outside.
2025

Dr. Amra Haroon

Dr. Amra Haroon is a PGY-2 with the Mississippi Delta Family Medicine Residency program in Greenville, MS. Dr. Haroon’s project, “SPARK: An Interactive Educational Intervention to Enhance Adolescent Health Literacy” seeks to improve health literacy among adolescents, improve access to adolescent-friendly healthcare, and improve healthcare outcomes among adolescents and adults alike in the Mississippi Delta. SPARK (Supporting Positive health-related behaviors in Adolescents through Resourcefulness and Knowledge) will 1) Address basic health topics including nutrition, physical fitness, mental and behavioral health, social wellbeing and chronic disease prevention, 2) Enhance communication between adolescents and health care providers, 3) Encourage informed decision-making and responsible health behaviors, and 4) Encourage uptake of existing community resources including local healthcare facilities for routine healthcare maintenance.

The AAFP Foundation strives to create a sense of belonging through an inclusive environment that embraces the family medicine community by recognizing individual uniqueness and contributions to family medicine.