San Antonio FMIG receives national award

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Family Medicine Interest Group was chosen as one of 10 recipients nationwide of the 2010 AAFP Program of Excellence Award. This award recognizes FMIGs for their efforts to stimulate interest in family medicine and family medicine programming. The award has been a cornerstone of the FMIG network, facilitating the sharing of best practices of FMIGs from across the country and recognizing the hard work of these student groups. The UTHSCSA FMIG currently boasts nearly 200 active members, and has been recognized as a Program of Excellence a total of four times.

The UTHSCSA FMIG takes extensive steps to actively recruit medical students to family medicine and retain membership by electing student liaisons from each medical school class to promote upcoming events and meetings; and using FMIG meetings to discuss relevant medical topics, sponsor hands-on workshops, and bring family physicians from the community to speak. One of their most successful recruiting events was the FMIG-sponsored residency fair, which brought 19 family medicine residency programs to interact with students.

In the community, the UTHSCSA FMIG staffs student-run free clinics weekly at two locations: Alpha Home, a transitional living home for women recovering from drug addiction, and the San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries, a transitional living home for previously homeless families. The group is involved in Tar Wars, AAFP’s anti-tobacco initiative that brings medical professionals into fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms, and Apple Wars, an anti-obesity initiative that teaches fifth-grade students the importance of proper nutrition, portion sizes, and exercise.

AAFP will honor the UTHSCSA FMIG in multiple ways. AAFP has posted a program profile in the “New & Notable” section of the Virtual FMIG website, http://fmignet.aafp.org. At National Conference in Kansas City, Mo., July 29-31, the UTHSCSA FMIG will be featured in the official conference program, members will be given a special ribbon to wear on their conference badges, and FMIG leaders will present an educational session to share their success story with other student groups.