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Moments in STFM History
“Moments in STFM History” is gleaned from the collections of the Center for the History of Family Medicine. Housed at AAFP headquarters and administered by the AAFP Foundation, the Center serves as the principal resource center for the collection, conservation, exhibition, and study of materials relating to the history of family medicine in the United States. For more information on the Center, or if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for this feature, contact Center staff.
30 Years Ago—In the first quarter of 1981, STFM was searching for a new executive director. Roger Sherwood was hired in April with a start date of June 1, 1981. He retired from this position in 2007.
40 Years Ago—A sampling of issues confronting the STFM Executive Committee at its meeting in Chicago on February 13, 1971:
1. Council of Academic Societies (CAS)—still awaiting word regarding STFM’s application of October 1970
2. Core Library—STFM was asked for financial assistance for a core library in family medicine being developed by Dr Norman Stearns. STFM referred request to the AAGP Commission on Education due to limited financial resources of the Society.
3. Executive Secretary—Executive Committee considered the possibility of hiring a part-time paid executive director, since the executive secretary of the STFM president could not continue to serve in that capacity as the presidents changed.
4. New members—The Executive Committee voted to allow individuals who are osteopaths to join the Society.
5. Definition of family medicine—Herb Vandervort presented a variety of definitions to be presented to the membership for opinions.
6. Future projects—Encouraged a joint meeting with the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
10 Years Ago—STFM was well represented at the Keystone III Conference, held October 4–8, 2000. As reported in the October 20, 2000, issue of the Board Briefing, attendees included STFM President Steve Bogdewic, PhD; President-Elect Denise Rodgers, MD; and Past Presidents Beth Burns, MD, MA; Marjorie Bowman, MD, MPA; Jack Colwill, MD; John Frey, MD; Marian Bishop, MD; Gayle Stephens, MD; Terry Kane, MD; and Lynn Carmichael, MD. Deputy Executive Director Marcia Neu, CAE, and Executive Director Roger Sherwood, CAE, staffed the conference.
20 Years Ago—Alan David, MD, wrote in the “From the President” column for the November-December 1990 issue of Family Medicine about changes being considered related to academic family medicine organizations. His column, titled “STFM—The Future?” argued that “a unified, more representative, and stronger academic family medicine organization” could expand the potential of family medicine. Dr David reported that members of the family of family medicine agreed that an umbrella organization should be considered. A possible name for the organization was Association of Family Medicine, and a possible structure was outlined.
30 Years Ago—In the fall of 1980, STFM’s communications director, Robert Martin, was involved in developing a proposal for “a motion picture documentary showing the physician as a teacher.” Originally targeted at a general audience, it appears that the project evolved into a film for PAFAMS (Pan American Federation of Associations of Medical Schools), to be financed by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, in part due to the involvement of Dr Julio Ceitlin. Unfortunately, there is no clear resolution in the STFM archives for whether this film was completed. The 1980-1981 STFM Annual Report highlights a PAFAMS Pilot Fellowship Program, designed to promote creation of family medicine teaching programs in Latin American countries. It is likely that the film idea was dropped but morphed into the fellowship idea. If any STFM members recall whether this film was made, please contact CHFM staff.
40 Years Ago—In October 1970, Society member Lucy Zabarenko, PhD, and Mary Etta Zwell had just published an updated annotated bibliography called Training for Family Practice. It was reviewed favorably for Family Medicine Times. Dr Zabarenko and Ms Zwell, her research assistant, were with the Staunton Clinic, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The authors’ goal in compiling the bibliography “was to be of maximum service to graduate programs in family practice medicine.” The CHFM’s collection includes several copies of this groundbreaking work.
10 Years Ago—In June 2000, the journal published a “Special Research Series: Classics from Family Medicine.” Compiled by Mindy A. Smith, MD, MS, of Michigan State University, the articles chosen for this group had been published in the early 1980s and represented family medicine’s “initial foray into the research arena,” according to Dr Smith’s introduction. The authors of the original articles also wrote brief commentaries to “tell a story about who and what we wanted to become as scholars within our discipline in the next generation and what we have become.” Authors represented were Peter Curtis, MD; Larry Green, MD; John Frey III, MD; and Larry Culpepper, MD.
20 Years Ago—The STFM Messenger announced the formation of a new organization, called the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors (AFPRD). Now known as AFMRD, it came into being on June 11, 1990 when attendees at the Workshop for Directors of Family Practice Residencies approved the proposal.
30 Years Ago—The Task Force on Fellowships in Family Medicine published the first Fellowship Directory, a pamphlet listing 35 programs in 21 states and Canada. Members of the task force at that time were Ross R. Black,II, MD; Elizabeth A. Burns, MD; Alan K. David, MD; Wayne T. Dodge, MD; Cynda A. Johnson, MD; John E. Mahaffy, PhD; Katherine A. Munning, PhD; Christian Ramsey, Jr, MD; and Irving Vinger, MD.
40 Years Ago—Family Medicine Times reported on the first Banff Workshop, held June 28-July 1, 1970. The purpose of the workshop was stated as a way “to provide a setting for teachers of family medicine in which to discuss and evaluate current instructional planning and methods.” A report of the workshop noted: “Bar facilities were open during the afternoon and evenings of the Workshop days for the further dissemination of knowledge and experience.”
10 Years Ago—At the May 2000 STFM Annual Spring Conference in Orlando, Florida, the Bishop Fellows Program was unveiled. Supported by the F. Marian Bishop Charitable Trust, this initiative was designed to train senior family medicine educators to assume positions of greater responsibility in academic medicine. Dr Bishop was the STFM president in 1981–1982 (the first woman and non-MD in that position) and had a long career holding leadership positions in academic medicine.
20 Years Ago—In 1990, the family medicine community was shocked at the untimely death of Nicholas J. Pisacano, MD, on March 11, at the age of 65. Dr Pisacano was founding secretary and former executive director of the American Board of Family Practice and a long-time member of STFM. He received the STFM Recognition Award in 1984 and was posthumously awarded the F. Marian Bishop Award in 1990.
30 Years Ago—At its May 1980 meeting, the STFM Board of Directors was presented with a draft of a working paper titled “The Medical Education Accreditation System: A Working Paper,” prepared by Thomas L. Stern, MD, AAFP vice president of Education and Scientific Affairs. This paper had been developed by Dr Stern at the request of the Family Practice Working Party. The Working Party, an information-sharing and communications-enhancing group of representatives from family practice organizations, held its first meeting in March 1979.
40 Years Ago—Forty years ago, the Society was still having trouble getting credit for its programs, as evidenced by a discussion listed in the June 21, 1970, minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting. Item #2 stated: “Dr Carmichael directed our attention to an article in the April 1970 issue of Hospital Practice, which described the Society’s conference on ‘Graduate Training Programs in Family Practice’ held at the time of the Congress on Medical Education in February. It did not mention the name of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.”
First Quarter 2010
10 Years Ago—The February 2000 issue of Family Medicine contains an essay by Jane L. Murray, MD, titled “Family Medicine: Return to Counterculture?” Like many writings in STFM publications, this one revisits G. Gayle Stephens’ address from 1979, “Family Medicine as Counterculture.”In her essay, Dr Murray describes her own personal journey and discontentment with family medicine. She advocates returning to the specialty’s roots and concludes, “Gayle Stephens—brilliant man, gifted teacher, visionary, mentor at a distance—you were right 20 years ago. You are still on target today.”
20 Years Ago—The Report of the Secretary-Treasurer in the 1990–1991 STFM Annual Report shows that the fiscal year 1990 budget was the first one to exceed $1 million. This increase was largely due to an increase in grants and contracts, which went from 5% to 27% of Society income. At that time, the Society was involved in several separate meetings each year, all but one of which was profitable in 1990.
30 Years Ago—Family Medicine Teacher (January/February 1980) printed a presentation given by David Satcher, MD, PhD, to the STFM Fall Scientific Session in November 1979. In the article titled “Family Practice in the Inner City,” Dr Satcher detailed arguments for why there should be a mandate for family practice in the inner city. Dr Satcher would later serve as US Surgeon General under President Clinton from 1998–2002.
40 Years Ago—The January 1970 issue of Family Medicine Times reported on plans for the STFM Annual Scientific Session to be held February 7, 1970, at the Palmer House in Chicago. Called “Where It’s At,” the session included a status report on the graduate education of family physicians in North America, as well as a Family Practice Smorgasbord, which allowed representatives from the approved graduate training program to display information about their programs and visit with individuals interested in them.
