Your Membership Matters
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Get involved with TAFP
TAFP provides a variety of ways for members to be involved and help advance the mission, including both elected and appointed positions for medical students and family medicine residents.
All appointed and elected leaders are members of the Student and Resident Leader Forum including chairs, chairs-elect, National Conference representatives, Member Assembly representatives, members serving on TAFP councils and committees, TAFP Foundation advisors, the FMIG liaison, resident advisors, TAFP board liaison, and any TAFP student and resident members elected to an AAFP position or appointed to an AAFP Commission. The student and resident board members serve as co-chairs of the forum, which meets monthly during the academic year to share information, help plan live educational meetings, and carry out any other projects they develop.
The FMIG Network and Residency Network are made up of representatives from each Texas medical school and residency program, respectively. They meet virtually at least twice a year for discussion of issues in medical education and to share tools, resources, and opportunities for dissemination among their peers. Medical school Family Medicine Interest Groups and residency programs select their own representatives to serve a one-year term, following the academic schedule from July through June.
Chair-elect positions are elected each year by the FMIG Network and Residency Network, while the rest of the available student and resident positions are appointed by a screening committee including the outgoing co-chairs and the TAFP board liaison.
Appointed positions in the Student and Resident Leader Forum
Students and residents can be appointed to one-year terms. The applications open every spring with appointments to be announced soon after. Applicants must be TAFP student or resident members to hold officer positions.
Applications will open in the spring of 2025.
Functions: Not an elected position. This is a one-year position, must have already served as chair-elect for one year of training prior to ascension to co-chair of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum and Board Member Nominee. The chair shall demonstrate leadership and motivation of other officers and membership. They are influential in the establishment of goals and objectives for the organization during their term.
Duties:
- Serves as co-chair of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum and attends all forum meetings.
- Serves as chair of network meetings (FMIG Network for student chair and Residency Network for resident chair).
- Serves on the TAFP Board of Directors following election at the TAFP Member Assembly during Annual Session and Primary Care Summit and attends all board meetings.
- Helps establish duties and agendas for meetings.
- Reviews reports submitted by student and resident members.
- Is familiar with the history and bylaws of TAFP and Rules of Order.
- Promotes active participation among student and resident members.
- Supports and defends policies and programs adopted by the board of directors.
Relationships: Responsible to the student and resident membership through the board of directors for seeing that the policies and programs of the Academy reflect the needs and aspirations of the membership.
The Member Assembly shall convene at least annually and is the grassroots component of TAFP’s governance structure. Typically held during TAFP’s Annual Session and Primary Care Summit (November) as well as C. Frank Webber Lectureship and Interim Session (April).
Composition: As established in the bylaws, the Member Assembly shall be composed of delegates from TAFP local chapters, all members of the TAFP Board of Directors, and delegates selected by the medical students and resident physicians.
Responsibilities: The Member Assembly’s main responsibility is electing leaders including officers, delegates to AAFP, and members of the TAFP Board of Directors.
The Member Assembly will also hear reports and provide feedback to TAFP’s leadership.
The board of directors may refer items to the Member Assembly to get input from a larger group of members on a particular issue.
The Member Assembly may, by majority vote, approve a referendum for submission to the members of TAFP on questions affecting the policies or recommendations of the Academy.
Additional responsibilities beyond what is required by the TAFP Bylaws for student and resident delegates and alternate delegates:
- Attends all meetings of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum.
- Reports back to the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum on the Member Assembly.
Function: Represent the TAFP medical student and resident memberships. You must know TAFP policies and positions and reflect the same in their votes at the AAFP Congress of Delegates. Must still be a medical student or resident when representing TAFP during the July/August AAFP Congress of Delegates held during AAFP’s National Conference.
Duty: Attend the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students and follow the prescribed protocol.
Additional requirements beyond what is required by the AAFP position for student and resident delegate and alternate delegate:
- Attends all meetings of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum.
- Reports back to the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum following the AAFP National Conference meeting.
Function: Serves as co-secretary for TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum meetings.
Duties:
- Attends all meetings of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum and record meeting minutes.
- Attends all network meetings (FMIG Network for student secretary and Residency Network for resident secretary) and record meeting minutes.
- Is responsible for collecting reports from members of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum.
- Assists the co-chairs in submitting reports.
Relationships: Works in partnership with the co-chairs and other officers.
Functions: Serves as an advisor to the TAFP Foundation Board of Trustees on funding and scholarship matters affecting students and residents. Also serve as a liaison between the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum and the TAFP Foundation Board of Trustees. The term begins immediately upon election during Interim Session and expires at the next Interim Session. The two meetings of the TAFP Foundation Board of Trustees are typically held Saturday morning during TAFP’s Annual Session and Primary Care Summit (November) and Friday afternoon during TAFP’s C. Frank Webber Lectureship and Interim Session (April).
Duties:
- Attends all meetings of the TAFP Foundation Board of Trustees.
- Report to the Foundation on activities of the students and residents and share TAFP Foundation opportunities with students and residents.
Functions: Serves as the liaison between the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum and the FMIG Network. Also serves as a liaison between the FMIG Network and the AAFP Region 1 FMIG Coordinator.
Duties:
- Serves as a liaison between the FMIG Network and the AAFP Region 1 FMIG Coordinator.
- Improves communication between the FMIG Texas chapter presidents.
- Promotes statewide Texas FMIG campaigns and programming, such as primary care week, community service, clinical skills labs, etc.
- Reports back to the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum on FMIG Texas chapter updates.
- Attends all meetings of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum.
- Assists the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum student co-chair in incorporating updates about the Texas FMIG chapters into the meeting reports.
Functions: Serves as the liaison between the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum and chief residents of the Texas family medicine residency programs.
Improves communication between the Texas family medicine residency programs and TAFP.
Duties:
- Attends all meetings of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum and the Residency Network.
- Assists the resident co-chair in incorporating updates about TAFP’s resident-related opportunities.
TAFP is governed by a board of directors who oversee a set of councils and committees. In the current governance structure, members can apply for appointments to councils and committees. There are standing committees — Bylaws, Executive, Finance, and Nominating — and councils — Workforce and Member Engagement, Medical Practice, and Health of the Public. Students and residents can be appointed to one-year terms.
Student and resident members appointed to a TAFP council or committee become members of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum. This is a separate and automatic appointment that serves as an additional opportunity to connect the TAFP councils and committees to student and resident leaders in an effort to better serve future generations of family medicine physicians.
APPLY FOR A COUNCIL OR COMMITTEE POSITION
Elected positions in the Student and Resident Leader Forum
The Student Chair-Elect and Resident Chair-Elect are both elected positions chosen by the FMIG Network and the Residency Network, respectively. This position has a two-year commitment, serving one year as chair-elect and the following year being appointed to chair.
Applications will open in the spring of 2025.
Functions: The term of office primarily serves as a year of training prior to ascension to the co-chair of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum. The chair-elect shall be kept informed of all activities of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum. They will demonstrate leadership and motivation of other officers and members. They will succeed to the office of chair at the conclusion of the Interim Session a year after which their election occurred. This position has a two-year commitment.
Duties:
- Attends all meetings of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum.
- Helps to establish and maintain communication between Texas medical schools.
- Presides over meetings in which the chair is absent.
- Ensures continuity between the previous administration and the upcoming administration.
- Is familiar with the history and bylaws of TAFP and Rules of Order.
Relationships: Works in partnership with the chair and other officers.
Functions: The term of office primarily serves as a year of training prior to ascension to the co-chair of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum. The chair-elect shall be kept informed of all activities of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum. They will demonstrate leadership and motivation of other officers and members. They will succeed to the office of chair at the conclusion of the Interim Session a year after which their election occurred. This position has a two-year commitment.
Duties:
- Attends all meetings of the TAFP Student and Resident Leader Forum and the Residency Network.
- Maintains a contact list of the chief residents in the Texas family medicine residency programs.
- Helps to establish and maintain communication between Texas residency programs.
- Presides over meetings in which the chair is absent.
- Ensures continuity between the previous administration and the upcoming administration.
- Is familiar with the history and bylaws of TAFP and Rules of Order.
Relationships: Works in partnership with the chair and other officers.
AAFP leadership opportunities
AAFP offers various elected national leadership positions, student and resident commission appointments, network leadership positions, and representative positions to other organizations. If you need a chapter letter of support email Juleah Williams at jwilliams@tafp.org to start the process.
LEARN MORE ABOUT AAFP LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
FMIG funding for Texas medical schools
Family Medicine Interest Groups at each of the Texas medical schools are allocated reimbursement for up to $1,000 for approved FMIG activities through the TAFP Foundation. Please use the forms emailed to FMIG leaders to request funding approval and follow up after your approved event by using the request for funding reimbursement form. Scanned copies of receipts can be emailed to Juleah Williams at jwilliams@tafp.org.
Apply for AAFP FMIG Funding Initiative
AAFP and AAFP Foundation partner to provide crucial financial support to campus-based Family Medicine Interest Groups at U.S. allopathic medical schools in order to enhance student interest in family medicine.
Earn incentives as a Student Membership Ambassador
Students who are AAFP members can sign up to be designated Student Membership Coordinators for their medical schools. In doing so, your FMIG will receive numerous materials from AAFP and earn incentives for increasing AAFP student membership.