Dallas-area FMIGs team up with TAFP to host advocacy event

TAFP recently collaborated with the Family Medicine Interest Groups at UT Southwestern, UNTHSC – TCOM, and TCU to create an event to inform medical students of the role advocacy plays for physicians in general and family medicine specifically. The event also included a demonstration of TAFP and AAFP resources on how to participate in advocacy.

We held the event on April 30, 2024, at a local restaurant, and it was a total success! The goal was to inspire the students who attended and provide them with a sense of excitement and community in family medicine, nudging them to either commit wholly or consider seriously family medicine as their specialty.

The idea originated from a January FMIG Network meeting when each network discussed past and future events as well as opportunities for collaboration. The group noticed that not a lot of events focused on advocacy. Even some of the leaders of the FMIGs, such as myself, were new to the world of family medicine advocacy and how it could both be inspiring and overwhelming at the same time. So, we wanted to create a space to educate students on why and how to advocate.

Our chapter at UT Southwestern reached out to the TAFP president, the TCOM FMIG president, and the TCU FMIG president to coordinate across all three schools. Juleah Williams, TAFP’s membership and workforce development manager, immediately roped in TAFP CEO Tom Banning, and he got on a call with us within 48 hours to hash it all out. We went to them with a dollar and a dream, and they turned it into a reality.

TAFP found three speakers to present on current and past legislative efforts, booked the venue, and organized the agenda. Meanwhile, the schools coordinated the effort to advertise the event.

About 25 students from the three schools in the North Texas Region took part along with a few TAFP leaders. We are very proud of this event and received positive feedback from every individual in the room that it was inspiring and exciting. We hope to continue this event with TAFP’s support next year and thank them and the TAFP Foundation deeply for their assistance and support.

Priyanka Kadari, MD, is an alumnus of the UTSW Medical Center class of 2024, and will soon begin residency training at the John Peter Smith Family Medicine Residency Program.