I entered the field of family medicine when it was fresh, new, and finding its way. Through both community and academic practice on the East Coast and West, and in working with students, residents, and practicing physician colleagues and watching their careers unfold, I have lived much of the tapestry of the history of family medicine. I have been a part of cycles of challenges and solutions as we and our specialty matured. I have learned at each step and have applied past lessons to new developments wherever they fit.

 

It is important to look continuously for opportunities to learn and grow, and to apply these developing skills to service. In practice, I have discovered the potential of population management and team-based care. I have seen students’ eyes light with the discovery of what family medicine is and what we can do. Through participating in or chairing more than 20 academic, community, and academy committees, commissions, and boards, I have learned to work in systems and teams. In giving television interviews, I have improved media skills. In testifying before legislative committee, I have learned the power of a clear, succinct message and the need for flexibility in presenting it. I have learned the true importance of hearing, respecting, and integrating a diversity of people, perspectives, and ideas, now more than ever.

 

Today’s problems are real: burnout, reimbursement challenges, practice workload, meaningless electronic data entry, pipeline issues, access to affordable care for our increasingly diverse patient population, support for new models of care, and more. I believe the approach of early family medicine leaders is valid now: respecting tradition but not being its prisoner, expecting change and being part of it, advocating for our patients and ourselves, being curious and confident, and eagerly anticipating what the next day might hold. As family physicians, this is how we make a difference. I am eager to use this rich and successful tradition to bridge to our promising future.