Jef Groesbeck, right, and School of Medicine student Maggie Rossano perform osteopathic manipulation treatment on medical student Caitlin Womack at a workshop Groesbeck hosted this fall for the VCU Student Family Medicine Association. (Courtesy photo)As the United States faces a shortage in the number of family physicians, the Student Family Medicine Association is working hard to highlight the various aspects of family medicine careers. From hands-on workshops to lunchtime lectures, SFMA provides opportunities for VCU medical students to interact with family physicians on campus, at residency programs, and in different types of communities throughout Virginia. As former SFMA co-president Iris Wu, M’22, said, “I think a lot of people have realized, ‘Oh, like there is a much broader scope. There's a lot more diversity within family medicine and versatility of what you can do with family medicine.’ It's rewarding to think that we could be helping to kind of recruit more primary care folks.”
For their work in emphasizing the importance of family medicine, SFMA has been named a 2019 Program of Excellence by the American Academy of Family Physicians.