Mission statement

The mission of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians is to promote the health of all Texans by serving the needs of members and advancing the specialty of family medicine.

Vision statement

TAFP empowers family physicians to play a robust role in health care for their patients and their communities.

TAFP strategic plan

TAFP’s strategic plan for 2019 and beyond focuses on helping members care for patients.

The Texas Academy of Family Physicians is the state’s largest medical specialty organization, with more than 9,500 member physicians, residents and medical students throughout 32 local chapters. TAFP serves the family medicine community and provides a unified voice for family medicine as it continues to be one of the most patient-oriented public health groups in Texas. The American Academy of Family Physicians, TAFP’s parent organization, maintains a membership of more than 100,000 members in 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.

Today the Texas Academy of Family Physicians maintains its headquarters in Austin, Texas. Go to our Contact Us webpage for the TAFP mailing address and other Academy contact information.

TAFP is governed by a board of directors. The board establishes and reviews Academy policy and plans during the TAFP Interim Session, TAFP Annual Session, and at other times throughout the year. Members also serve on TAFP committees and councils where they study, analyze, and make informed policy recommendations to the board.

TAFP tracks and lobbies for legislation impacting family physicians and their patients. The Texas Academy of Family Physicians Political Action Committee (TAFPPAC), the political voice of family medicine in Texas, speaks on behalf of Texas family physicians and their patients through grassroots involvement, personal relationships with elected officials, and political campaign participation and contributions. TAFPPAC is a non-partisan political action committee that supports candidates who support issues important to family physicians and their patients.

The Academy wishes to equip family physicians with beneficial tools for the continual improvement of the specialty. To do this, TAFP promotes the constant education of members to assist them with meeting the required 150 hours of approved continuing education every three years to retain membership. This requirement may be met through continuing education programs, publication or presentation of original scientific papers, medical school or postgraduate teaching, residency training, etc. The requirement, unique at its time of origin, has through the years become a standard for an increasing number of other medical groups. TAFP offers three CME symposia throughout the year: Annual Session and Primary Care Summit, C. Frank Webber Lectureship, and the Texas Family Medicine Symposium.

TAFP communicates to its members through its up-to-date website that contains information about CME activities, legislative issues, current medical news, and other helpful resources. The Academy publishes a quarterly magazine, Texas Family Physician, and several other smaller publications throughout the year including the TAFP News Now e-newsletter and the Products & Services for Family Physicians e-newsletter.

The Texas Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, organized in 1960, supports educational and scientific initiatives of family medicine to improve the health of all Texans. Through the generous contributions of members, corporations and friends, the Foundation is able to raise and distribute funds for medical student scholarships to future family physicians, for research, for family medicine student interest group activities at medical schools in Texas, and for family medicine resident activities.

TAFP was founded on March 16, 1948, as the Texas Academy of General Practitioners, making it the fifth chartered state chapter of the AAGP. J. B. Copeland, M.D., served as the first TAGP president. Once the American Academy of General Practitioners changed its name to the American Academy of Family Physicians, Texas soon followed suit.