PHILADELPHIA — Aaron Meyer, a fourth-year student at St. Louis University School of Medicine, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians. The AAFP represents 105,900 physicians and medical students nationwide. Meyer was elected to a one-year term by the National Congress of Student Members and was confirmed by the governing body of the AAFP, the Congress of Delegates.
As the student member of the board of directors, Meyer is responsible for representing the interests and opinions of the National Congress of Student Members to the AAFP Board of Directors and Congress of Delegates. In addition, he will advocate on behalf of family physicians and patients nationwide to inspire positive change in the U.S. health care system.
Active in family medicine throughout medical school, Meyer was elected a student delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates in 2011. As a student delegate, he represented student member interests and issues pertinent to medical students that are brought to the Congress of Delegates by the National Congress of Students. He has served on the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors since 2010 and was the Missouri AFP’s delegate to the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students. Through his positions with the Missouri AFP, Meyer helped develop legislation that would increase loan repayments for family physicians working in underserved areas in Missouri.
In 2010, Meyer was named a regional coordinator for the AAFP’s National Family Medicine Interest Group Network for a one-year term beginning in January 2011. As a coordinator, he served as a consultant and resource for the FMIGs on medical school campuses in the 10 states that comprise Region 2 of the network.
In addition, Meyer served as president of the St. Louis University Physicians for Human Rights and co-chair of the School of Medicine’s Family Medicine Interest Group. He is a member of St. Louis’ Winter Outreach team, bringing emergency supplies to St. Louis’ homeless when temperatures drop below 20 degrees. He directed a homeless health care service elective at SLU School of Medicine where he helped organize an influenza vaccination day in St. Louis’ tent cities. He also worked with homeless and low-income people as program staff at Nativity House day shelter through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Meyer will complete his medical degree in May 2013.
St. Louis University School of Medicine Student Aaron Meyer Elected to AAFP Board of Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Contact:
Leslie Champlin
American Academy of Family Physicians
(800) 274-2237, Ext. 5224
lchampli@aafp.org
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Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 110,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Approximately one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 240 million office visits each year — nearly 87 million more than the next largest medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.
To learn more about the specialty of family medicine, the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, and for downloadable multi-media highlighting family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.FamilyDoctor.org.
