2007 Candidates Position Statements

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STFM Candidates Offer Position Statements for Upcoming Election

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Voting

Ballots will be distributed at the annual meeting in registration envelopes. Only members in the active physician and nonphysician membership categories whose dues are paid for 2007 are eligible to vote. All ballots must be returned to the STFM Registration desk at the Hyatt Regency Chicago by 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 26. Election results will be announced at the STFM Annual Business Meeting on Friday, April 27, 2007. For those members eligible to vote who will not be at the annual meeting, absentee ballots are available by emailing Mary Ruhl, mruhl@stfm.org.

President-Elect

Jeff Susman , MD
University of Cincinnati

I have been fortunate to be given many opportunities to learn and lead in family medicine. I am professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. With STFM, I sit on the Future of Family Medicine Special Task Force and am coordinating development of our Competency-based Curriculum for the New Model. I served on the Board of STFM as member-at-large, chaired the Group on Faculty Development, helped develop the STFM Faculty Development Series Workshop I: Teaching and Learning Skills, and have been a member of diverse task forces. I am also a proud member of the Board of the Family Medicine Education Consortium.

Other diverse leadership experiences include chairing the AAFP Committee on Research and the Task Force on Clinical Policies; being a member of the Publications Committee, the Task Force on Procedures, and the AFMO Research Subcommittee; and serving currently on the Commission on Quality. I am the editor of the Journal of Family Practice and co-editor of UpToDate Family Medicine. I have co-edited half a dozen books. I am president of our Physician Organization and a University of Cincinnati Physicians Executive Committee member.  Fortunately, I remain engaged in depression research with my colleagues in nursing with our NIMH-funded, practice-based research.
           
After a stint in rural family practice, I joined the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I served as research director, vice chair, and the director for our Integrated Clinical Experience, medical director of the primary care clinics, and associate dean for Primary Care and Faculty Development. I was a leader of curriculum reform and led our Interdisciplinary Generalist Curriculum and the UME-21 projects.
 
My blended family includes five children—Katie, Beth, Danny, Dan, and Ben—which means Linda and I must postpone our plans to visit all seven continents (although we recently traveled to Antarctica!).

Position Statement

I believe STFM is the cornerstone of the Future of Family Medicine. Our core values—preeminence in faculty development, advocacy for social justice, leadership in medical informatics, pioneering efforts in quality improvement, and commitment to new models of care—reflect the strength and future of our discipline. Whether catalyzing student interest, disseminating innovative instruction, enhancing professional development, or advocating for our patients, STFM simultaneously honors our rich traditions, while promoting a future where family physicians will be the foundation of our health care system.
  
Of all “the family’s” organizations, STFM remains the most passionate, the most eclectic, and the most nurturing. I view this diversity as a strength; in my opinion, family medicine is not defined by a set of procedures, a particular population, or a single approach to care. Rather we should remain adaptive, culturally astute, and dedicated to meeting the needs of our particular patients or learners as we mold our professional activity to our communities. Indeed, I believe STFM should be more than a collection of professional educators and weave our membership into the very fabric for social change.

I firmly believe every individual should have a basic package of health services, a medical home and care coordinated by a family physician. Even in today’s imperfect world—dominated by subspecialism and reductionism—we must nurture our dreams of new models of teaching, care, and social responsibility and transfer our values and vision to ensuing generations.  

I am honored by this nomination and will strive to foster a collaborative home for the next generation of family medicine educators, to facilitate our ongoing creativity and enhance our diversity as a discipline. I strongly believe in STFM’s vision: “We will be a community of educators, researchers, and clinicians leading change that measurably improves the health of all people.”

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Scott A. Fields, MD
Oregon Health and Science University

As a child, I learned from my father what it meant to be a family physician caring for a community.  After 20 years in practice, I am now delivering my second generation of babies. Being a family physician has set the foundation for my educational and research interests, enabling me to follow my passion.
 
As a competitive swimmer, and then coach, I learned how to set goals, work hard, compete with intensity, and deal with failure, as well as success. Graduating from the University of Washington in economics, I believed I would manage a business one day—a family practice.
 
After residency at OHSU, I joined the faculty, initially focusing in predoctoral education, collaboratively developing, implementing, and evaluating new clinical curricula. My wife, Vicki, the assistant dean, taught me the institutional landscape and how to get things done in a medical school. Practicing medicine every day, including operative obstetrics, provides me with credibility in serving as chair of the Clerkship Directors Committee and member of the Medical Group Executive Committee. Within STFM, I have served in many roles, including chairing the Group on Predoctoral Training and member-at-large of the STFM Board.

As professor and vice chair, I participate in every aspect of our departmental mission. My current focus is to build a meaningful practice—one that is successful, both in terms of quality of care and economic performance and where it is possible to appropriately educate our learners for the future. It is critical that as we build this practice, and educational environment, that we monitor our outcomes, both our successes and failures.  

So, I continue to practice, teach, and learn, all in the same community that I have been caring for patients for more than 2 decades, maintaining a tradition that began with my father more than 50 years ago.

Position Statement

Defining STFM’s role lies squarely at the foundation of defining the Future of Family Medicine.  We have not been confident about what being a family physician means, or how to maintain our values, while adapting to societal needs and a health system that is in disarray.

We are dedicated professionals, whose primary role is to teach our discipline to learners throughout the continuum, on behalf of the public they serve. The Society’s strength lies in the membership’s breadth and depth, yet I believe that the organization would benefit from greater focus on its core role as an organization of educators. The public needs and deserves the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that family medicine provides. This education includes, but certainly is not limited by, new ways to prevent or treat disease, new approaches to communication with our patients, and new systems of care that expand access, while improving quality.
As members of STFM, we must:

• Actively help implement the Future of Family Medicine initiative at the level of the practice of medicine. 
• Critically evaluate our predoctoral programs and be willing to change the methodology of the past 30 years to better teach the discipline’s core values and content.
• Define, in collaboration with AFMRD, ABFM, and the P4 project, important changes in residency education to better prepare our graduates for this practice. 
• Redefine our approach to lifelong learning, to facilitate new training, retraining, and focused learning, thereby better meeting the needs of practicing physicians. 
• Be front and center, along with NAPCRG, to research and evaluate every implemented strategy. Only through rigorous study will it be possible to share what we learn with credibility.

And we must do this in a manner that nurtures the academic growth of our members and produces leaders for the future.

CAS Representative

Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH
Southern Illinois University

I was born in a small town in rural Missouri where my mother had been the office nurse of the town’s only physician, a general practitioner. I acquired a sense of the medical needs of individuals of rural areas. I completed medical school, family medicine residency, and a Robert Wood Johnson academic fellowship at the University of Missouri, Columbia. While developing my skills as a family physician, I also attained a broader perspective of the health needs of the population, particularly of rural medically vulnerable populations.
 
I have been a faculty member at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) for 22 years. For 12 years I was residency program director at the SIU Program in Quincy and have now been the department chair for 10 years. I have also chaired the school’s curriculum committee for 6 years and was recently appointed to the Illinois State Board of Health. I have had the privilege of traveling annually to Honduras to provide care and assist with public health measures as part of a Global Medical Relief team.  

These experiences have given me the opportunity to understand the health care needs of individuals and populations; to understand educational systems at university hospitals, community-based medical schools, and community-based residency programs; and to understand the dynamics of curriculum development and implementation at each level of medical school and residency training. I also have learned the importance of a cross-cultural approach to medicine, appreciating the interactions of biology and society and utilizing this information to develop appropriate curricula for health care professionals and to build appropriate health care systems.

Position Statement

As liaison to the AAFP Commission on Governmental Advocacy, I was recently struck by the comments of the student and resident members. They were hungry to learn more about  population-based health outcome data that informs legislative policies. Sadly, these data that describe the health systems and policies that will have a greater impact on improving health care outcomes in reducing health care costs that all other medical advances combined, are not taught in a coherent fashion in medical schools and residency programs.

Thus, my goal as CAS representative will be to clearly articulate the need for a shift in curricular emphasis in US academic health care institutions. This shift will involve changes in curricular allocations so that students will clearly have a better understanding of health care systems and  policies. I will strongly voice the importance of the following health care system characteristics, which have been shown to improve all health care outcomes and reduce health care costs:

1. The Patient-centered Medical Home. To meet the health care needs of all Americans, there must be a pervasive system and adequate number of patient-centered medical homes that embody the following characteristics: 
   1. First contact care (easy access)
   2. Patient-centered care over time (continuous care)
   3. Comprehensive care (a wide range of health care services)
   4. Coordinated care (interprofessional care with excellent lines of communication)
   5. Family-centered care (family members are cared for by the same health care professional)
   6. Community care (community health assessment and action plans)
2. Health Care System Characteristics. To meet the health care needs of all Americans, there must be changes in the health care systems that reflect the following characteristics:
   1. Distribution of health care services equitably to various regions.
   2. Universal financial assistance guaranteed by a publicly accountable body.
   3. No co-pay and low deductibles for health services in the patient-centered medical home.
   4. Professional earnings of generalists similar to earnings in other specialties.
3. Number of Generalist Physicians. There must be a dramatic increase in the total number of generalist physicians, and in the ratio of generalist physicians to all physicians, so that our health care system will have an appropriate emphasis on primary care, prevention, patient-centered medical homes, and public health.

Mark S. Johnson, MD, MPH
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School

I am a graduate of UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. I completed my residency in family medicine at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. After residency I was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill. I held faculty appointments at Meharry and the University of South Alabama before returning to New Jersey Medical School 15 years ago to start the Department of Family Medicine. During my years in academic family medicine, I have designed medical student curricula, served as a residency director, received extramural funding for research and educational endeavors, provided care to all kinds of patients, mentored students, residents, fellows, and faculty, was an assistant dean, and am currently a department chair.

I have been a member of STFM since the early 1980s. I have served on the Steering Committee of the Group on the Family for 3 years and was a member of the Research Committee for 4 years. I have been an active participant in the Group on Minority Affairs. Other national activities include almost 4 years on the US Preventive Services Task Force, 11 years on the Board of Directors of the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, including 6 years as president-elect, president, and immediate past president, UME-21 Advisory Council, RAP Board of Directors, and AHRQ Study Section.

I have three grown children, Asha, Kwende, and Zuri. On December 30, 2006, I was fortunate enough to get married to a very special person, Marlyn, and was able to inherit her little one, Maia.

Position Statement

The Council of Academic Societies (CAS) is one of three governing councils of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). It is the structure within AAMC that represents the faculties of medical schools. CAS is composed of 96 academic societies and as such is a highly diverse group. “The mission of the CAS is to help the faculty of academic medical centers in their primary responsibilities of research, education, and patient care, with an ultimate goal of improving the health of all Americans.”

This is a significant time in history for STFM to take the opportunity to assert itself in this arena. AAMC has a new president who has announced his intention to steer the direction of medical schools to be more community conscious. Second, the immediate past chair of the CAS Board is a family physician. Family medicine needs to expand its leadership beyond primary care and contribute to the basic architecture of how an academic health center should function within the context of its community. Academic health centers should not continue to exist as self-serving behemoths. Rather, the academic health center will have to evolve into structures that interact with the community in a way that is mutually beneficial. Further, there are debates about how our entire health system should work. What is the evidence behind workforce policy? How do we provide care to the uninsured and underinsured? How should a limited health care dollar be allocated? What are the best methods and appropriate content for teaching students and residents? It is on these and similar issues that I would be proud to represent STFM.

Member-at-Large

Ellen G. Whiting, MEd
Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine

Like many education professionals, I found my way to medical education indirectly. In 1978, I took a break from teaching in the Maine public schools to work with two remarkable physicians who introduced me to residency education and family doctors. I discovered a fascination with medicine, an affinity with family medicine, and a better fit with teaching adults.

In 1979, I accepted the position of instructional development specialist with the Department of Family Medicine at a new community-based medical school, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Family medicine faculty were leaders in implementing a shared curriculum for multiple teaching sites and establishing an unprecedented collaboration among clinicians. It was the only clinical department that hired educators for curriculum and faculty development, educational research, and grant writing. I worked closely with physicians, behavioral scientists, and nurses at six hospital-based family medicine residencies to develop and assess predoctoral curricula. My interest in faculty development grew from orienting physicians who precepted students in their offices. I now provide leadership and instruction for an academic fellowship and clinical and academic skills workshops for faculty and residents.

In 2004, I was named director of a newly established centralized Office of Faculty Development for the college while continuing my work and affiliation with the Department of Family Medicine. I have learned much about the worlds of basic sciences, pharmacy, and other clinical disciplines as I build faculty development opportunities for an expanded, multidisciplinary audience.

STFM has been my mentoring home for nearly 3 decades. Since attending my first predoctoral education conference in San Antonio in February 1981, I have attended one or more STFM conferences each year for the scholarship, growth, and replenishment. I have developed lifelong friends as a member of the Group on Faculty Development and the Group on Education Professionals, for which I served as chair. As recipient of a 2003–2004 STFM Foundation Faculty Enhancement Award, I observed a Teaching of Tomorrow Conference in action at the University of Massachusetts. Other national leadership roles include my serving as chair of the Generalists in Medical Education.

My husband, Christopher, and I live in the rural community of Doylestown, Ohio. Our son, Bryan, is a graduate student in chemistry at Cornell University.

Position Statement

It is an honor to be nominated for the position of member-at-large. To the Board of Directors I will bring the perspective, insights, and questions of an experienced educator who spends each day studying the skills and learning needs of faculty to provide professional development opportunities to support them in fulfilling their academic responsibilities.

My work is based on two beliefs: (1) enhanced teaching leads to enhanced quality of patient care and (2) enhanced teaching skills can be acquired through faculty development. I know that teaching and faculty development are vital to the success of the Future of Family Medicine project, because they answer the call for collaboration, communication, research, information technologies, curricula development, and lifelong learning for personal and professional success.

I also will bring the strength of longstanding relationships with STFM colleagues and faculty in other disciplines. Those who know me will attest to my philosophy that “relationship” is at the heart of teaching. STFM has been incredibly successful in creating an inclusive and enriching environment in which to learn and collaborate around shared problems. Relationship can also be at the heart of the Future of Family Medicine project. A collective voice can be a powerful force for transforming the teaching and practice of family medicine to meet the needs of patients and renew the specialty as a promising and rewarding career.

Paul Paulman, MD
University of Nebraska

I’m thrilled and humbled to have an opportunity to run for member-at-large for the Board of Directors of STFM. I owe a great deal to STFM. The opportunities provided by the Society have taught me a great deal and have helped me develop professionally. One of the biggest honors in my career was receiving the 2004 STFM Recognition Award. 

My outlook on medical education has been shaped by my background. I grew up as a farm kid in western Nebraska and attended a state college before being accepted at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. My residency was at Broadlawns Polk County Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. After a stint in the Public Health Service in Spalding, Neb (population 600), I accepted an offer of a faculty position at the University of Nebraska Department of Family Medicine. I have the great jobs of teaching our family medicine residents, doing a bit of research, and serving as predoctoral director for the department, working with our community physician preceptors in Nebraska who teach our required junior family medicine clerkship. I’ve served as faculty advisor for our students and family medicine residents during medical mission trips to an impoverished area of Jamaica and for our national award-winning student-run indigent clinics in economically challenged areas of Omaha. My interest in education has led me to work with HRSA as a grant reviewer and the AAFP Education Commission and Student Interest Task Force. I’ve accepted a position as assistant dean for Clinical Skills and Quality for the University of Nebraska College of Medicine.

The commitment to family medicine runs deep in the Paulman family. My wife, Dr Audrey Paulman, is a family physician and a member of STFM, serves as quality officer for the State of Nebraska for Medicare, and is a member of the faculty at the University of Nebraska Department of Family Medicine. Our son, Dr Roger Paulman, is a resident in family medicine at the Clarkson Family Medicine Residency Program in Omaha; his wife, Dr Nicole Paulman, is a resident in internal medicine at the University of Nebraska. Our daughter, Kate, is studying law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

I have been privileged to work with the Society in several areas, including:

• Chair of the Society’s Group on Predoctoral Educators
• Member of the Education Committee
• Feature Editor of “For the Office-based Teacher of Family Medicine” column in Family Medicine
• Project co-director, Family Medicine Curriculum Resource Project

Position Statement

STFM members have a variety of interests. My areas of emphasis will be to increase interactions with our community faculty who teach our students and residents and to foster service-learning.  Fostering these areas will help the Society prosper along the lines of key Future of Family Medicine (FFM) concepts.

Community educators provide a great deal of the education and clinical experience for our learners in family medicine. The potential to expand our knowledge base through research involving our community-based educators, who are experts in the course of illness in their patients, patients’ families, and the community, is great.

I’ve seen service-learning programs kindle and rekindle the fire and passion for family medicine among our students, residents, faculty, and community physicians. As STFM looks to continue and enhance its mission, playing to our strengths seems to make sense. Service-learning and community-based programs excite our learners (and teachers). We do these things well; doing them better will help STFM prosper.

If elected, I will attempt to determine the needs of our community-based teachers, identify “best practices” among STFM members in community programs and service-learning, disseminate this information, and seek resources to enhance and improve these programs.

STFM has done a lot for me. I am honored by this nomination and would like to have the opportunity to give something back to the Society.

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