Family Practice Group Wins Award

The Family Medicine Interest Group, an organization of family practice medical students, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) recently received a national Program of Excellence Award presented by its parent organization, the American Academy of Family Physicians. From the 10 student organizations that received the award, the UAB group also was selected to receive the Excellence in Family Practice Advocacy Award for 1999-2000.

October 4, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Family Medicine Interest Group, an organization of family practice medical students, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) recently received a national Program of Excellence Award presented by its parent organization, the American Academy of Family Physicians. From the 10 student organizations that received the award, the UAB group also was selected to receive the Excellence in Family Practice Advocacy Award for 1999-2000.

The Program of Excellence Award recognizes the group’s efforts to stimulate interest in family practice and family practice programming, specifically efforts undertaken to strengthen UAB’s family practice infrastructure, student involvement and retention, family practice advocacy, community outreach and patient advocacy.

“We are proud to accept this award validating our efforts to promote family practice in Alabama,” says Beverly Jordan, a second-year medical student and immediate past president of the UAB group. “We hope this award will highlight the need for primary care physicians in Alabama and encourage others to become involved in family practice.”

Some of the group’s activities last year included the “Tar Wars” anti-smoking campaign, “Primary Care Week,” a suturing clinic, “Have a Heart Food Drive” for the homeless, a residency panel discussion, and monthly luncheons featuring family practitioners as speakers.

“We are extremely proud of the efforts and accomplishments of this talented group of medical students,” says Dr. T. Michael Harrington, chairman of the department of family and community medicine at UAB. “They have represented Alabama very well at the national level.”

Several members of the local organization serve as state and national officers and have played an active role in both state and national congresses. Other UAB officers for 1999-2000 year were Emily Dolbare, vice president; Nikki Price, secretary; Julia Boothe, special project coordinator; Clint Allen, sophomore representative; and Vandy Black, freshman representative. Tamela Turner, M.Cn., assistant professor with department of family and community medicine at UAB, served as the group’s faculty advisor.