About

The Family Medicine Scholars Training and Admission program (fmSTAT) is a unique program with two components:

1. The dual admissions process is designed to identify and select individuals who come to medical school intending to be family physicians.

2. The four-year curricular program provides participants with tailored experiences that nurture, develop, and support this select group of medical students toward their family medicine career goal.

Benefits

  • Deliberate placement with specially selected family physician teachers
  • Community of peers with shared values
  • 1:1 family physician mentor throughout the four-year experience
  • Core family medicine content through semi-annual retreat and seminar sessions
  • Optional paid summer research between first and second year
  • Professional development: potential for funded participation in state/national conferences, networking assistance, letters of support for personal/professional opportunities 
  • Financial scholarships
  • fmScholars' designation in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Dean's) letter for residency application

Expectations

  • Successful completion of general School of Medicine requirements
  • Attend annual required fmSTAT learning activities
  • Engage in a scholarly project and presentation in 4th year
  • Complete a family medicine 4th year elective
  • Apply to match in a Family Medicine residency

fmSTAT is a dual admission program to the VCU School of Medicine.  The admissions component of fmSTAT is designed to identify and select individuals who are committed to a career in family medicine upon matriculation.

Brandon's Admissions Experience

Brandon, fmScholar, talks about his admissions experience

Watch Brandon's video on Vimeo
Brandon's Admissions Experience
applying to fmSTAT

Applying to fmSTAT

The opportunity to apply to fmSTAT is automatically extended to a select group of VCU School of Medicine applicants during the supplemental application process.

Those who receive offers, and wish to apply, complete the online fmSTAT application. The School of Medicine and fmSTAT applications are reviewed by family physicians who participate in the School of Medicine admissions process.

If recommended, the fmSTAT Educational Director will call applicants with an invitation to interview. In addition to the standard School of Medicine interview, fmSTAT candidates, have an information session to learn more about the program and separate one-on-one interviews regarding their family medicine interest. 

fmSTAT emulates the School of Medicine admissions process with rolling offer dates. 8-10 fmScholars are selected each academic year from those accepted to VCU School of Medicine.


 

The scholars' training component of fmSTAT is a 4-year longitudinal program designed to explore key concepts "through a family medicine lens" with personal values and core values of the specialty of family medicine in mind. This is accomplished in part by required participation in two seminars and two retreats each academic year. Learning activities are designed to be engaging (e.g. panels, debates, group work, etc.) and relevant. Each session includes good food, enthusiastic faculty, and time to connect with other fmScholars.  Foundational to fmSTAT is having seminars and retreats with fmSTAT peers at all levels of training.

Curricular themes rotate annually to ensure exposure to all material over the course of four years.

Participation in one dinner seminar each semester, each year is also required.  Topics focus on the particular year’s curricular theme.  Seminars are often preceded by an optional social where fmScholars can socialize and share their current experiences.

Retreats are weekend activities held off campus once each semester.  The fall retreat includes an overnight stay; the spring retreat is a day-long event.  These events enable participants to "dig deeper" into the core content, provide time for meaningful connection with other fmScholars through team building and casual social time together.

“The practice models teamwork and seminar was a great opportunity to interact and work with other fmSTAT students from all across the years.”

“The pre-seminar was a lot of fun; it taught me a lot about the nuances of navigating the pharmacy section at my local grocery store. I think it made a large part of the seminar itself more understandable/relatable; I think it was my favorite part of the entire event.”


 

Mentorship is a cornerstone of fmSTAT. Each fmScholar is paired with a family physician whose role is to support and nurture the student through medical school. Mentors are very carefully selected and oriented to the program structure and expectations. The "matching" of fmScholars to mentors is based on getting to know students through the fmSTAT interview process and a pre-matriculation survey. Mentors and mentees meet each other during the first weeks of medical school with the intent of developing a relationship over the course of training.

While there are some optional occasions for groups, the mentorship is designed as a 1:1 relationship initiated by mentor and student with the support of the program directors.

Alana's Mentorship Experience

Alana, fmScholar, talks about her mentor relationship.

Watch Alana's video on Vimeo
Alana's Mentorship Experience
supporting students through mentorship

 

Program Directors

fmSTAT Co-directors, Judy Gary, M.Ed.and Carolyn Peel, M.D., provide ongoing support for participants. With input from other faculty and  students, they develop the curriculum, plan and evaluate all program events and hand-select mentors and preceptors to work with each fmScholar.

“We quickly discovered that the relationship aspects of fmSTAT were the most important part of the program.  Witnessing the support that students demonstrate for one another and the sense of community are inspiring.” 

Family Physician Preceptors

The Department of Family Medicine and Population Health involves nearly 200 family physicians across the Commonwealth of Virginia to help train VCU medical students.  Since its founding in 1970, the department has intentionally selected community family physicians (preceptors) -- many who are alumni, to serve as teachers and role models allowing students to experience family medicine where it is practiced most often. As a benefit of the fmSTAT program, fmScholars are preferentially placed with preceptors with the students' particular interests and needs in mind for all of their clinical experiences.

Mentors

Each fmScholar has a specifically selected family physician mentor who supports his/her scholars' personal and professional development. Though many mentors teach medical students, care is taken to avoid having a mentor directly teach or evaluate his or her mentee. See Mentorship section for more information.


Class of 2024

click on photos to learn more and contact an fmScholar

Alana

Alana

California

Alana

Alana

California

University of California, Irvine

Human Biology

email Alana

Ally

Ally

Virginia

Ally

Ally

Virginia

College of William and Mary

Neuroscience

email Ally

Brandon

Brandon

North Carolina

Brandon

Brandon

North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Biology

email Brandon

Jehwoo

Jehwoo

Connecticut

Jehwoo

Jehwoo

Connecticut

Bowdoin College

Biology

email Jehwoo

Meghan

Meghan

Virginia

Meghan

Meghan

Virginia

University of Virginia

Psychology

email Meghan

Noelle

Noelle

Virginia

Noelle

Noelle

Virginia

College of William and Mary

Biology

email Noelle


 

Class of 2025

click on photos to learn more and contact an fmScholar

Akshaya

Akshaya

California

Akshaya

Akshaya

California

University of Chicago

Comparative Human Development

email Akshaya

Alec

Alec

Virginia

Alec

Alec

Virginia

College of William and Mary

Biology

email Alec

Ashley

Ashley

District of Columbia

Ashley

Ashley

District of Columbia

California State University, Fullerton

Biochemistry

email Ashley

Austin

Austin

North Dakota

Austin

Austin

North Dakota

Montana State University

Nutrition Science

email Austin

Chris

Chris

North Carolina

Chris

Chris

North Carolina

East Carolina Univ.; North Carolina State Univ.

East Carolina University: Biology and Philosophy
North Carolina State University: Physiology

email Chris

Jeremy

Jeremy

Utah

Jeremy

Jeremy

Utah

Brigham Young University

Spanish

email Jeremy

Joseph

Joseph

Virginia

Joseph

Joseph

Virginia

Davidson College

Religious Studies

email Joseph

Louisa

Louisa

North Carolina

Louisa

Louisa

North Carolina

Davidson College

Latin American Studies

email Louisa

Maddy

Maddy

Pennsylvania

Maddy

Maddy

Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh

email Maddy

Rebecca

Rebecca

Massachusetts

Rebecca

Rebecca

Massachusetts

Boston University

Molecular Biology

email Rebecca

Ronston

Ronston

Virginia

Ronston

Ronston

Virginia

Virginia Commonwealth University

Biology
Psychology

email Ronston

Sarah

Sarah

Virginia

Sarah

Sarah

Virginia

University of Virgnia

Drama
Psychology

email Sarah


Class of 2026

click on photos to learn more and contact an fmScholar

Alexis

Alexis

Virginia

Alexis

Alexis

Virginia

College of William and Mary

Kinesiology and Health Sciences

email Alexis

Cassie

Cassie

Virginia

Cassie

Cassie

Virginia

University of Michigan

Biology, Health, and Society

email Cassie

Emily

Emily

Georgia

Emily

Emily

Georgia

Davidson College

History

email Emily

Emily

Emily

Virginia

Emily

Emily

Virginia

University of Virginia

Astronomy

email Emily

Jennifer

Jennifer

Virginia

Jennifer

Jennifer

Virginia

University of Texas at Austin

Ancient Greek Language

email Jennifer

Krishna

Krishna

Virginia

Krishna

Krishna

Virginia

College of William and Mary

Computational and Applied Mathematics and Statistics

email Krishna

Mariah

Mariah

California

Mariah

Mariah

California

University of San Francisco

Kinesiology

email Mariah

Nathan

Nathan

Virginia

Nathan

Nathan

Virginia

James Madison University

Health Sciences

email Nathan

Nasim

Nasim

California

Nasim

Nasim

California

University of California, Davis

Genetics & Genomics

email Nasim


 

Class of 2027

click on photos to learn more and contact an fmScholar

Anna

Anna

Virginia

Anna

Anna

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Biological Systems Engineering

email Anna

Cameron

Cameron

Virginia

Cameron

Cameron

Virginia

Georgetown University

Biology of Global Health

email Cameron

Daniel

Daniel

Maryland

Daniel

Daniel

Maryland

University of California, Los Angeles

Portuguese

email Daniel

Grace

Grace

Virginia

Grace

Grace

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Clinical Neuroscience

email Grace

Kavin

Kavin

Ontario, Canada

Kavin

Kavin

Ontario, Canada

University of Toronto; Western University

University of Toronto: Medical Science (MSc)
Western University: Medical Sciences (Bachelor)

email Kavin

Lauren

Lauren

Virginia

Lauren

Lauren

Virginia

University of Virginia

Biology
Spanish

email Lauren

Omar

Omar

Virginia

Omar

Omar

Virginia

University of Virginia

Economics
Arabic

email Omar

Shaun

Shaun

Virginia

Shaun

Shaun

Virginia

College of William and Mary

Neuroscience

email Shaun

Will

Will

North Carolina

Will

Will

North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

English

email Will

William

William

Virginia

William

William

Virginia

College of William and Mary

Biology

email William



 

Tiffany's professional development experience

Tiffany, fmScholar, talks about how VCU and fmSTAT support her professional growth

Watch this video on Vimeo
Tiffany's professional development experience
nurturing professional growth

 

The greatest benefit of fmSTAT is the community of students who share similar goals. fmScholars have a variety of personal interests and envision doing a myriad or combination of things, but all aspire to be family physicians taking care of individuals, families and communities!

Our fmScholars' career interests:

  • Be a community leader and active advocate of public and preventative health
  • Work in a progressive and comprehensive patient-centered clinic
  • Live and work in a rural community
  • Concentrate on global health
  • Focus on sports medicine
  • Serve military families
  • Join a suburban group practice with a focus on adolescents and women
  • Work with low income families, underserved care, refugees, underserved minorities, recent immigrants
  • Provide women's health & FM/OB care
  • Be a medical educator/work in academics
  • Provide chronic disease and geriatric care
  • Practice in an outpatient setting
  • Start a direct primary care practice
  • Be a medical director/physician at a community health center
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Donate

Gifts to the fmSTAT Scholarship fund  provide fmScholars with tuition support to attract and retain these aspiring family physicians.  The benefits of your support are exponential as program graduates join our specialty and ultimately serve patients, families and communities.

Click to Donate!


 

Judy Gary, M.Ed.
judy.gary@vcuhealth.org
(804)828-5685

VCU Department of Family Medicine and Population health
Box 980251
Richmond, VA 23298-0251

West Hospital, 14th Floor, North Wing, 14-103
1200 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23298-0251