• SOAR Scholarship Applications Now Open!

    image of SOAR logo
    We are excited to announce that applications are now open for the SOAR (Strengthening Outcomes and Assessment in Residency) Scholar Program, a unique research opportunity offered through the collaboration of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) and the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) Foundation. This year, we have two (2) scholar positions available.
    This is your chance to advance your scholarship, deepen your understanding of family medicine residency design, and contribute meaningfully to the future of family medicine residency innovation.
    WHAT IS THE SOAR SCHOLAR PROGRAM?
    The SOAR Scholar Program provides residency leaders with a structured, mentored research experience in partnership with ABFM. Scholars gain access to ABFM and other GME data, expert mentorship, and dedicated time to pursue a research question that matters to you and to the field.
    ELIGIBILITY
    Applications are open to residency leaders with an active AFMRD member on faculty at their program or in their family medicine department. Eligible roles include:
    • Program Directors
    • Associate Program Directors
    • CCC Chairs
    • PEC Chairs
    • Research Directors
    • Directors of Osteopathic Education
    • Medical Directors
    • Educational/Curriculum and Instruction Directors
    • Residency Program Administrators/Coordinators
    Please note: Only one applicant per residency program may apply per cycle.
    PROGRAM COMMITMENTS
    Selected scholars will be expected to:
    • Complete a 5-consecutive-business-day in-person residency at the ABFM in Lexington, KY within 4 months of acceptance (dates are flexible and set by mutual agreement)
    • Attend a virtual orientation with ABFM staff
    • Participate in regular updates and ongoing communication with ABFM staff and mentors
    • Complete data analysis within 12 months of program start
    • Present research within 18 to 24 months of beginning the program (funded by AFMRD)
    Travel and lodging expenses are reimbursed per AFMRD policy. Per diem and family travel expenses are not covered.
    APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
    Your application must include a letter of support from your Program Director, Department Chair, Designated Institutional Official, or GME Chair acknowledging your time away from the program for the Lexington, KY residency and protected time for project work at your home institution.
    SELECTION PROCESS
    SOAR Staff will review all applications within 4 weeks of the application cycle closure to confirm fit of research interests to the SOAR aims. The AFMRD Board of Directors will then review confirmed applications to select the two SOAR Scholars.
    DEADLINE
    Applications are due May 15, 2026.
    We strongly encourage you to apply, or to share this opportunity with a colleague who would be an excellent candidate. We believe the AFMRD community is full of talented residency leaders that can help identify key drivers for future success.
    For full program details and to apply, click HERE.
    Questions? Contact us at help@fmsoar.org or Jay Fetter at 877-223-7437.
    We look forward to receiving your application!

    ------------------------------
    Lisa Ochs
    Executive Director
    AFMRD
    ------------------------------

  • Seeking Faculty Champions to Volunteer for Residency Topics

    We are seeking faculty champions for each topic (see the full list of topics here), individuals who can present at the monthly Bread and Butter lecture series, the weekly didactic sessions, or lead a workshop for our residents on a recurring basis.

    If you are interested in championing a topic, please type your name in the row(s) next to the topic(s) you would like to lead. Your involvement is essential in shaping a robust, high‑quality educational experience for our residents. Note, by selecting a topic you will own it for this academic year. 

    Thank you in advance for your support and for the expertise you continue to bring to our program.
    Ernst J. Nicanord

  • NAPCRG 54th Annual Meeting Call for Papers

    NAPCRG is excited to announce that the Call for Papers is officially open for our 54th Annual Meeting, taking place in Toronto, Ontario!

    Now is the time to share your work and contribute to this year’s program. The deadline to submit abstracts is April 19, 2026 at 11:59 PM CT, so we encourage you to get started soon.

    We are accepting submissions in the following categories: 
    • • Pre-Conference Workshops – Extended sessions designed for topics that don’t fit the regular conference schedule. These workshops may focus on research methods, skills development, or new initiatives in primary care research, often with opportunities for audience engagement.
    • • Forums – Informal sessions where researchers discuss challenges related to funding and project implementation. Participants with shared interests can exchange ideas on methodology, sampling, statistical approaches, study planning, and more.
    • • Workshops – Presentations on research methodology or research skills development that must involve audience participation.
    • • Oral Presentations on Completed Research – An opportunity for a focused presentation and discussion of a completed project on a topic related to primary care research, including outcomes and results.
    • • Poster Presentations on Completed Research – Use a visual summary to share information and provide one-on-one discussion opportunities of a presenter’s completed project on a topic related to primary care research.
    • • Poster Presentations on Research In Progress – Use a visual summary to share information and provide one-on-one discussion opportunities of a presenter’s in progress project on a topic related to primary care research.
    New This Year! They’re excited to welcome the Practice-based Research Network (PBRN) community to the Annual Meeting. Dedicated submission opportunities are available, look for forms labeled with the PBRN track. They’re excited to showcase and integrate a new level of PBRN research into this year’s program.

    Students, residents, and fellows — we haven’t forgotten you! A special Call for Papers just for trainees will open on May 11th, with more details coming your way.

    If you have any questions, please reach out to conference@napcrg.org.

  • President Cabinet Awards 2026

    The President’s Cabinet Awards Committee seeks proposals for the 2026 President’s Cabinet Award. The theme of the awards is The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) – The Community and Beyond: Where Purpose Meets Passion. This theme explicitly recognizes the shared interest of the university, the surrounding community, and beyond, in promoting a vibrant and supportive environment. This environment is enriched by those systems, protocols, and partnerships that put the people UTMB serves first, promote outreach, education, and improved patient care. Projects that mobilize the creativity, ingenuity, and dedication of the students, staff, and faculty of UTMB are especially encouraged. The application deadline is April 30th and can be downloaded from this link. 

  • Flyer invitation to the second annual cardiovascular symposium at the San Luis Resort

    Second Annual AHA/UTMB Cardiovascular Symposium

    It's Island Time! Come and Learn about Cardiovascular Medicine

    Dear Colleagues:

    I would like to invite you to join us on Saturday, May 30th, 2026 for the second annual AHA/UTMB Cardiovascular Symposium hosted by the American Heart Association and the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sealy Heart & Vascular Institute at The University of Texas Medical Branch! The event will be from 8:00am to 5:00pm, with an award reception to follow.

    This educational conference geared for non-cardiovascular specialists will cover updates on clinical practice guidelines for a variety of cardiovascular diseases and conditions. Throughout the event, you will have the opportunity to strengthen your professional skillset while learning from expert cardiologists working at UTMB and obtaining CME and CNE credits. The schedule of talks for the day, which will include topics such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and valvular heart disease, will be provided soon.

    Registration for the event is now open, and can be accessed through the event's webpage! Additionally, please consider submitting an abstract for consideration as a poster. Abstracts will be accepted until end of day March 31st. All areas of research within cardiovascular medicine will be considered. Abstracts will be reviewed and the top 20 will be selected to be showcased at the conference. Only one submission per presenting author is permitted.

    The meeting will be hosted at the San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center in Galveston, Texas, a luxurious four-star hotel located right next to the beach. A room block has been secured, and is open through Friday, May 8, 2026 based on availability. For discounted room rates, please call the San Luis Reservations Department directly at (409) 744-1500 (toll free) and identify yourself as being with the AHA Room Block.

    For event-related questions, please contact Alex Lukina (Alexandra.Lukina@heart.org). For agenda-related questions, please contact Brian Katz (brkatz@utmb.edu).

  • Public Health Symposium 2026

    The Annual UTMB Health School of Public and Population Health Symposium will be held April 8, 2026.  

    The purpose of the poster session is to identify and recognize individuals and groups who are addressing health issues by participating a project with public health components.

    Abstract submission deadline with March 2, 2026.

  • UTMB Health 2026 Research Summit

    The UTMB Health 2026 Research Summit, Advancing Discovery Across the Lifespan will take place on May 7-8, 2026.  It will include: 

    • 2 Poster Forums
    • Keynote Speakers
    • Networking Opportunities

    This event will be hosted by the Chief Research Office and the Council of Vice Chairs for Research as a way to feature the brightest work conducted by faculty and students at UTMB. One of the best ways for you to be part of the day is to share your lifespan research during one of two poster sessions planned for the event.

    Two poster forums will be hosted on May 7 – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Abstracts will be reviewed for merit and a maximum of 200 will be selected to be displayed during the two sessions. Please see the Abstract Submission Form for abstract guidelines and submission details. Again, I encourage you to share this information with colleagues and submit your poster abstracts to be part of this showcase of UTMB’s best. Remember, the deadline to submit is March 6.

     

  • The ABFM Research and Editing Fellowship

    The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) Foundation, the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (JABFM), and The Department of Family Medicine of the Medical College of Georgia are pleased to announce the creation of a new Research and Editing Fellowship.

    This fellowship is designed to develop skills and provide experience to a family medicine faculty person with interests in evidence-based medicine, clinical research, and medical editing.  A graduate of this fellowship will be able to conduct high-quality critical appraisal of primary care research, to write manuscripts for the peer-reviewed medical literature, and to serve on a family medicine journal’s editorial board or editor team.

    The application deadline for 2026 has passed. Please check back in Fall 2026 for 2027 dates. However, if you do have questions about the program, please contact us at jabfm@augusta.edu.

    The direct link to their website for more information is here.

  • 4 MPH Students Headed to Family Medicine

    As you all may know, we have historically engaged students in the MPH program to help us move projects along that help support the strategy map and the needs of the department. We will have four students this year helping us in 3 different domains.

    • Preconception care - work around FM OB needs building as we work to reboot women's health in the department
    • The history of Family Medicine education in the US and in the state of TX - this is educational scholarship that will center around increasing the FMCH clerkship to 6 weeks
    • Galveston Island Project - this is ongoing work to help us better understand health and health needs of Galveston Island
    There will be times where we may need faculty to assist with parts of this work. We want to be sure you are aware in case we need to call on you for assistance! 

  • Co-Authorship Opportunity

    Dr. Campbell is writing a Family Medicine Focus submission for our journal Family Medicine as a work-life balance submission. He is looking for an assistant professor who has never published in the peer reviewed literature to take the lead on this project, to include contributing to the concepts, writing and submitting the manuscript. This kind of article would be great for someone just starting to write. I anticipate that it would take a total of around 10 -12 hours of total work to complete. I have included an example of a Family Medicine Focus that was recently published as well as information about the article type from the journal.

    Kaplan B, Boggiano V, Rydel TA, Schillinger E. Twelve Tips for Teaching and Practicing Patient-Centered Time Management. Fam Med. 2025;57(10):764-764. https://doi.org/10.22454/FamMed.2025.712049.

    Family Medicine Focus

    "Family Medicine Focus" is a new, one-page article in an infographic format. Family Medicine Focus features topics relevant to work life including faculty development topics. These easy-to-read infographics provide up-to-date, evidence-based information for new and experienced faculty. The goal of a Family Medicine Focus article is to share high-yield information for current and aspiring faculty in an informative, innovative, and engaging way. Due to limited space for text, narrow topics and succinct writing are recommended. Submissions are welcome and must conform to the following guidelines:

    • Maximum word count: 500
    • Maximum number of references: 5
    • Submit the Family Medicine Focus manuscript in text format. The Family Medicine publishing team will place text into an infographic before sending it out for review to ensure uniformity of manuscripts.
    • Topics related to family medicine education are welcome, including submissions on work-life balance, scholarship, mentoring, and tips for teaching effectively.
    • Clinical topics will not be considered.

    Family Medicine Focus submissions that conform to the above guidelines may be submitted via the journal's submission system, choosing the "Family Medicine Focus" manuscript type option in submission step 1.

    Please let Dr. Campbell know directly if you are interested interested.

  • ADFM FP Essentials Call for Authors

    ENDS MARCH 8TH

    Call for faculty interested in gynecologic disorders topic. Dr. Emily Sendukas in OB/GYN may be interested in co-authoring. 

    Dr. Sendukas is a new faculty member at UTMB Health in the OBGYN department with subspecialty training in minimally invasive gynecology and expertise in endometriosis if that is an area any of our faculty have interest in collaborating on.

    Please direct all inquiries to the American Family Physician, fpeeditorial@aafp.org 

    Let Dr. Campbell know if he can help in terms of reviewing, editing, etc. AFP can be challenging to write for, but it is a very good journal with outstanding review articles for clinical care.