2017 AAFP National Conference

This year’s American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students was held on July 27 through July 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference gives medical students an opportunity to attend workshops, network, and gain insights into family medicine.


Representatives speaking with medical students

Our faculty, residents, and staff went as exhibitors to promote our residency programs. We also sponsored scholarships for medical students to attend and learn more about family medicine.

Over 4,000 people from across the nation attended this year’s conference and over 500 medical students visited U of M Family Medicine in the Expo Hall. Below is a list of all U of M Family Medicine Residency Program representatives.

DULUTH

• Jamie Conniff, MD, faculty
• Elizabeth (Libby) Feist, MD, second-year resident
• Joshua Kropko, DO, second-year resident
• Jesse Susa, MD, second-year resident

Third-year St. Cloud resident
Jamie Finke, MD

MANKATO

• Ryan Brower, MD, second-year resident
• Bob Jeske, MD, faculty

METHODIST

• Seun Acquah, MD, second-year resident
• Allyson Hayward, MSW, faculty
• Chris Leonard, MD, second-year resident
• Josh Scheck, MD, third-year resident
• Jeremy Springer, MD, program director
• Mary Wagner, MD, associate program director

NORTH MEMORIAL

• Renée Crichlow, MD, associate program director and MAFP representative
• Mark Nelson, MD, second-year resident
• Melissa Pavek, MD, third-year resident
• Lauren Williams, MD, third-year resident and MAFP representative

UMMC faculty Nicole Chaisson, MD, MPH (left),
and administrative coordinator
Raquel Van Norman (right)

ST. CLOUD

• Jamie Finke, MD, third-year resident
• Leesa Larson, MD, second-year resident
• Dennis Peterson, MD, faculty

ST. JOHN'S

• Kathryn Brown, MD, MS, faculty
• Tom Haroldson, MD, third-year resident
• Tony Nguyen, MD, second-year resident

ST. JOSEPH'S

• Paige Holmgren, MD, third-year resident
• Manuel Idrogo, MD, faculty
• Thuy Nguyen-Tran, MD, third-year resident

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEDICAL CENTER

Second-year Methodist resident
Suen Acquah, MD, presenting her poster

• Nicole Chaisson, MD, MPH, associate program director
• Kriti Choudhary, MBBS, MPH, third-year resident
• Anna Larson, DO, third-year resident
• Sharon Toor, MD, second-year resident
• Raquel Van Norman, administrative staff

DEPARTMENT FACULTY & STAFF

• Karen Borchert, MD, Twin Cities campus FMIG advisor and UMN Medical Center faculty
• Laura Pham, residency programs admissions and recruitment coordinator
• Heidi Cerdas Monge, MBA, graduate medical education curriculum coordinator

St. Cloud faculty Dennis Peterson, MD,
demonstrating a procedure

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

• Second-year Methodist resident Oluwaseun (Seun) Acquah, MD, was selected to present her residency program's poster titled “Food Insecurity: Identification of an Effective Screening Process.”

• St. Cloud faculty Dennis Peterson, MD, assisted in the hands-on, skills-based point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) workshop. He demonstrated ultrasound scans on conference attendee volunteers, then assisted them as they performed scans on the volunteers.

• Third-year University of Minnesota Medical Center resident Andrea Larson, DO, presented a poster titled "A Toolbox for Trans Care," co-authored by University of Minnesota Medical Center faculty Carrie Link, MD.

• Third-year North Memorial resident Lauren Williams, MD, presented a poster titled "Advocacy 101," with Peter Meyers from United Family Medicine. 

View photos from the conference

SOCIAL MEDIA

The traveling Loon trophy

For the fourth year in a row, we held a friendly social media challenge between our eight residency programs. For the challenge, we specifically tracked Twitter usage using #aafpnc. The residency program and individual who tweeted the most using #aafpnc received prizes. 


This year’s winning team was our North Memorial program, with a grand total of 121 tweets. They will receive the traveling Loon trophy (our version of the Twitter bird.) This year's individual winner was third-year Methodist resident Josh Scheck, MD, with a total of 71 tweets. He wins a gift from the University of Minnesota Bookstore.

Past winners

2016: Program winner: Methodist; Individual winner: Jesse Klingelhoets, MD, Methodist
2015: Program winner: North Memorial; Individual winner: Carrie Link, MD, University of Minnesota Medical Center
2014: Program winner: North Memorial; Individual winner: Renée Crichlow, MD, North Memorial

We look forward to next year’s conference, which will be held on Thursday, August 2 through Saturday, August 4, 2018 in Kansas City, MO.

AAFP National Conference 2016 Recap

This year’s American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students was held on July 28 through July 30 in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference gives medical students an opportunity to attend workshops, network, and gain insights into family medicine.


Our faculty, residents, and staff went as exhibitors to promote our residency programs. We also sponsored scholarships for medical students to attend and learn more about family medicine.

This year’s conference drew a record number of attendees with 1,210 residents and 1,349 medical students from across the nation. From the University of Minnesota, 46 medical students attended the conference. Below is a list of all U of M family medicine residency program representatives.

Duluth

Mankato third-year resident Jared Colvert, DO and program director John McCabe, MD

• Kristin Comstock, MD, second-year resident
• Charles Hackett, MD, second-year resident
• E. Tolga Hanhan, MD, first-year resident
• John Wood, MD, associate program director

Mankato

• Jared Colvert, DO, third-year resident
• John McCabe, MD, program director

Methodist

• Jesse Klingelhoets, MD, second-year resident
• Josh Scheck, MD, second-year resident
• Stephen Schwartz, MD, second-year resident



Left to right: North Memorial faculty Laura Miller, MD, second-year resident
 Lauren Williams, MD, first-year resident Nat Fondell, MD, faculty Renee Crichlow, MD,
 and third-year resident Meredith Bourne, MD

• Jeremy Springer, MD, program director

North Memorial

• Meredith Bourne, MD, third-year resident
• Reneé Crichlow, MD, faculty 
• Nat Fondell, MD, first-year resident
• Laura Miller, MD, faculty
• Lauren Williams, MD, second-year resident (MAFP-sponsored)

St. Cloud

• Dennis Peterson, MD, faculty
• 
Noah Retka, MD, third-year resident

St. John’s

St. Cloud faculty Dennis Peterson, MD, and third-year resident Noah Retka, MD

• Bobby Kagigebi, MD, third-year resident

• Kaitlyn Schoeck, MD, third-year resident

• Angela Smithson, MD, MPH, program director
• 
Jennifer Svendsen, MD, second-year resident

St. Joseph’s

• Robert Hlavacek, DO, third-year resident

• Manuel Idrogo, MD, faculty

• Michael Nasenbeny, MD, third-year resident

• Margaret Perko, MD, third-year resident

University of Minnesota Medical Center


• Andrea Larson, DO, second-year resident

• Carrie Link, MD, faculty
• Raquel Van Norman, administrator

Department Staff

• Tanner Nissly, DO, faculty advisor for the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) on the Twin Cities campus and North Memorial faculty

• Laura Pham, residency programs coordinator

• Nkauj Shoua Vang, communications specialist

Social Media

The traveling Loon trophy

For the third year in a row, we held a friendly social media challenge between our eight residency programs. For the challenge, we specifically tracked Twitter usage using #aafpnc. The residency program and individual who tweeted the most using #aafpnc received prizes. 


This year’s winning team was our Methodist program, with a grand total of 359 tweets. They will receive the traveling Loon trophy (our version of the Twitter bird.) This year's individual winner was second-year Methodist resident Jesse Klingelhoets, MD, with a total of 189 tweets. He wins a $30.00 gift card to the University of Minnesota Bookstore.

Methodist program director Jeremy Springer, MD, with second-year residents Jesse Klingelhoets, MD, Josh Scheck, MD, and Steve Schwartz, MD.

Past winners:
2015: Program winner: North Memorial; Individual winner: Carrie link, MD, University of Minnesota Medical Center
2014: Program winner: North Memorial; Individual winner: Reneé Crichlow, MD, North Memorial

In addition to sponsoring a social media challenge on Twitter, we used the new Facebook Live feature to introduce our programs and encourage attendees to stop by program booths. Click here to see the videos. If you were unable to attend this year’s conference, you can view photos from our exhibit here.

We look forward to next year’s conference, which will be held on July 27 through July 29, 2017.

Medical students visiting with our program representatives

Get Energized at #AAFPNC

In less than one month, thousands of family medicine educators, residents, and medical students will be leaving the 2014 American Academy of Family Physicians National Conference for Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students (also known as the AAFP National Conference) feeling renewed and energized about their choice or desire to be a family physician.

WHAT IS THE AAFP NATIONAL CONFERENCE? 

The AAFP National Conference is an annual meeting that gives medical students and medical residents from across the country an opportunity to:

• Learn about family medicine through hands-on workshops, lectures, and poster presentations
• Explore residency programs
• Speak to employers
• Network with other students and educators passionate about family medicine 

This year's conference runs August 7 through August 9 in Kansas City, Missouri. (More)

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND? 

The energy at the conference is palpable. Last year's attendance hit a record number of more than 3,500 people. The conference has also generated a lot of conversation around family medicine education and advocacy. Last year alone, the event hashtag (#aafpnc) saw more than 300 tweets over the course of the three-day conference; attendees were also active on other social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and Vine. 

Numbers tell only part of the story. Here's why medical student attendees have told us this is a CAN'T MISS event for those thinking about family medicine. 

• The AAFP National Conference is a great way to learn about current events in family medicine, get involved with leadership, and visit with residency programs from across the country. 

• The opportunity to talk to residency programs from all over the country is priceless. 

• The conference presents a tremendous opportunity to network with residencies, attend a variety of workshops, and enjoy a change of scenery from medical school. I gained a new appreciation for the diversity of training programs and types of practices available to family physicians. It was an eye-opening experience; I recommend every student attend.

• The AAFP National Conference is a great opportunity to learn more about the specialty, check out residencies, and meet new people. It's a lot of fun too! 

Better still, watch this video of students sharing feedback from their conference experience: Capture the Vision of Family Medicine -- National Conference -- AAFP.

MEET US THERE

Faculty, staff, and residents from our eight family medicine residencies will be at the conference. Visit us in Booths #914 and #917. 

We'll be actively using social media throughout the conference: 

• Follow us on Twitter at @UMNFamilyMed.
• Like us on Facebook at z.umn.edu/familymedicinefacebook.
• Be sure to follow the event hashtag: #aafpnc.