Minnesota Takes on AAFPNC 2018!

We had a blast at the 2018 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Thirty-five exhibiting representatives from our department, including faculty, residents, and staff, attended the conference and met with medical students from around the country.

Over the course of the three-day conference, 375 medical students visited our booth to learn about the eight residency programs at the University of Minnesota. Many were surprised to learn that each program has a distinct “feel” - for example, Duluth offers high-risk OB and c-section training upstate near the shores of Lake Superior, while St. Joseph's residents enjoy full-spectrum training and extensive ICU experience in a busy and ethnically diverse St. Paul neighborhood.

(Want to learn more? Our website also offers a wealth of information about each program, from curricular paths to information about living in the local area.)

Conference Highlights

Dr. Crichlow at the AAFPNC Family Medicine Storytelling Event

When they weren’t meeting with potential residents, University of Minnesota Family Medicine residents and faculty were focused on presenting scholarly and community-based work at the conference. Reneé Crichlow, MD, faculty in our North Memorial program and newly minted Director of Advocacy and Policy, took the stage at the Family Medicine Storytelling Event and described her experiences as a family physician. Her stories ranged from the humorous (delivering a baby on a bed that had been adjusted for a tall intern) to the sobering (watching a patient die as his wife assured him he was loved).

“We help guide our patients through the challenges and choices of life,” she told the audience. “It's family medicine. It's who we are, it's what we do, and you should come join us."

Dr. Crichlow also presented with Andrea Westby, MD (faculty, North Memorial) at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Emerging Leaders Workshop. In another room, Duluth faculty Jamie Conniff, MD, and PGY3 resident Becky Davies, MD, presented on health care for the homeless.

Several UMN representatives unveiled research in the AAFP National Conference poster presentations:

• Katie Hinderaker, MD (PGY3, St. Joseph) - Listening Matters! The Effect of PCP Listening Frequency on ED Visits 
• Hanna Nerud (UMN med student) & Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD (Family Medicine faculty) - State Characteristics Associated With Passage of Health Equity Legislation 
• Sharon Toor, MD (PGY3, UMMC) - Increasing Immunization Rates in Adolescent Somali Refugees 



St. Cloud residents Sujitha Yadlapati, MBBS (PGY3, left) and
Leesa Larson, MD (PGY3, right) pose with faculty Kevin
Switzer, MD (middle).

• Christina Warner (UMN med student) & Michael Ross, MD, PhD (Family Medicine faculty) - Sexual Health Knowledge Lacking Amongst U.S. Medical Students 

Two residents made efforts to influence AAFP policy and programming by putting forth resolutions to the National Congress of Family Medicine Residents (NCFMR). Ebiere Okah, MD (PGY2, North Memorial) co-presented a resolution for the AAFP to denounce race-based medicine. Alex Gits, MD (PGY3, North Memorial), who attended the conference as a Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) Resident Delegate, presented a resolution that the AAFP urge the accreditation council for Graduate Medical Education to establish a milestone that specifically requires advocacy education in medical training. This resolution was adopted by the congress.

Dr. Gits also received the AAFP Excellence in Graduate Medical Education award and was named the Resident Director on the STFM Board.

Social Media Coverage

The department landed on the list of top 10 influencers of the AAFP conference and was featured daily in the AAFP’s social media digest, thanks to an enthusiastic campaign by staff, residents, and faculty.

A friendly departmental Twitter contest encouraged UMN exhibitors to tweet everything from bios of their favorite faculty to images of the conference booth and giveaways, to videos of residents and faculty letting loose with karaoke. Emma Erickson, MD (PGY2, Methodist) and Kelsey Finn, DO (PGY2, UMMC) took home the prizes for most tweets, and the Methodist residency program won the coveted “Loon Trophy” in recognition for being the most active department on social media.

We couldn’t be more #UMNProud of this dedicated and fun bunch!

Until Next Year

The booth has only been down for a week, and already we are looking forward to next year’s conference July 25-27, 2019 in Kansas City. Mark your calendars and meet us there!

PS - If you came to our booth during the conference, please say hi via email, Facebook, or Twitter! We loved meeting so many of the faces that will transform the future landscape of family medicine.