MAFP Spring Refresher 2016 Recap

On April 14-15, the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health attended the 2016 Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) Spring Refresher at The Depot Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.



The MAFP Spring Refresher is an annual family medicine conference for family physicians, family medicine residents, medical students, and allied health professionals. The conference covers updates in medical knowledge, skills workshops, clinical practice improvements and innovations, and more. It's also a great opportunity for Minnesota-based family physicians to connect with colleagues from across the state.



A number of our residents and faculty were in attendance at this year's conference. Several gave presentations, including Reneé Crichlow, MD, on burnout prevention and mindful meditation; Barbara Elliot, PhD, MDiv, on end-of-life decision making; Nancy Baker, MD, on the use of mobile devices in medicine; Mary Wagner, MD, on clinician resilience.

Also among presenters was Kim Nagel, an undergraduate research assistant working with research faculty Alicia Allen, PhD. She presented on recruiting and retaining smokers in research studies.

View their presentations here.

What drives you to practice or teach family medicine?

Department faculty Reneé Crichlow, MD

We had a great time in the Exhibit Hall visiting with current and former faculty and residents, community physicians, and University of Minnesota medical students. 

We asked attendees to answer the following question--“What drives you to practice or teach family medicine?” This question corresponds to this year’s University of Minnesota marketing campaign, “We are the Driven.”

We took photos of our visitors with their answers on a chalkboard and posted the photos to our social media channels. See photos here.

MAFP Honors and Awards

Several department faculty and residents were also honored at the conference for contributions to family medicine education and research.


2016 MAFP Teacher of the Year 
Carrie Link, MD, University of Minnesota Medical Center faculty

Carrie Link, MD

2016 Resident of the Year
Elizabeth Lownik, MD, MPH, U of M North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program

Elizabeth Lownik, MD, MPH




Also among awardees was fourth-year University of Minnesota medical student Mark Nelson, who won the Medical Student Award for Contributions to Family Medicine.

Fourth-year U of M medical student Mark Nelson

In addition to being a medical student, Mark is a Julliard alumnus who has been performing with Hippocrates Cafe, since its first show. Mark will continue his career in medicine with the University of Minnesota North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program.

Last, but not least, department head Macaran Baird, MD, MS, won the “Most School Spirit” award and faculty David Power, MD, MPH, won the "Most Shocking" award for participating in MAFP’s Sunglasses Selfies Contest.

Department head Macaran, Baird, MD, MS

Department faculty David Power, MD, MPH

Congratulations to all who received an award!

Looking Ahead

The MAFP Spring Refresher is an annual event that happens in the spring for Minnesota family physicians. For more information and next year's schedule, visit the MAFP website.

MAFP Spring Refresher 2015 Recap

UMMC residents visited our booth space to participate in our
social media "why family medicine" campaign. Their
response: It's the "future of medicine and continuity
 of care."

Last week, we had the privilege of attending the 2015 Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) Spring Refresher at The Depot in Minneapolis.

The Spring Refresher is an annual family medicine conference for family physicians, family medicine residents, medical students, and allied health professionals. The conference covers updates in medical knowledge, skills workshops, clinical practice improvements and innovations, and more. It's also a great opportunity for Minnesota-based family physicians to connect with colleagues from across the state.

A number of our residents, faculty, and alumni were in attendance at this year's conference. Several gave presentations, including Shailey Prasad, MD, MPH, on global medicine; Nancy Baker, MD, on the use of mobile devices in medicine; Vince LaPorte, MD, on adolescent vaccinations; and Shannon Neale, MD, on developmental and socio-emotional screenings of adolescents in the clinic setting. View their presentations.

Why MN Family Docs Love Family Medicine

We had a great time in the Exhibit Hall visiting with former faculty, resident alumni, community physicians, and even American Academy of Family Physicians President Robert Wergin, MD.

We asked booth visitors to share something they loved about family medicine. Answers ranged from "relationships" to "caring for all ages" to "it's the liberal arts approach to medicine" to "it's the future of medicine." See all the answers in our Storify post.

North Memorial residency faculty Andrew Slattengren, DO,
loves caring for patients of all ages and building relationships.

MAFP Honors and Awards

Several department faculty and residents were also honored at the conference for contributions to family medicine education and research.

The 2015 MAFP Researcher of the Year was C.J. Peek, PhD. Peek has focused his career on leadership development, organizational effectiveness, interprofessional communication, clinical platform development, and integration of medical and mental healthcare. His research has bridged clinical, educational, and operational worlds. He has guided physicians, psychologists, and administrators on effectively evolving healthcare to achieve better, patient-focused results.

Faculty C.J. Peek, PhD, poses with his award,
a plaque with the likeness of Hippocrates Cafe on top.

The 2015 MAFP Teacher of the Year was Michael Wootten, MD, program director at our North Memorial residency. Nominators said Wootten has built an open environment of learning that allows medical residents the ability to individualize their training. One student wrote that residents often look forward to "Wootten weeks" on the hospital service, because they know the teaching rounds will be rich with discussion. Another student said, "He teaches us not just clinical medicine, but how to become change agents of the world."

When Wootten accepted his award, he talked about how
the future of the specialty rests in the development of the
next generation of family physicians.

The 2015 Resident of the Year Award is typically given to one third-year resident for significant contributions to family medicine, including teaching, leadership, and educational activities. This year's award went to two deserving residents, North Memorial's own Betsy Gilbertson, MD, and Cora Walsh, MD. Nominators said both residents have been excellent role models for the discipline. Their focus on integrated care and interprofessional collaborations have really stood out, specifically in their work to create a group prenatal program at Broadway Family Medicine Clinic, the clinical arm of the North Memorial residency. Both residents have also been key players in the community outreach efforts of the residency program, including community health education, mentorship for underserved youth, and homeless outreach.

North Memorial awardees, l-r, Besty Gilbertson, MD,
Michael Wootten, MD, and Cora Walsh, MD.

Looking Ahead

The MAFP Spring Refresher is an annual rite of spring for Minnesota family physicians. Next year's event will be at The Depot in Minneapolis again. Date and schedule information TBA. Visit the website for more information.