Sarah Sams, MD, FAAFP
Candidate for president-elect
Personal statement
Family medicine stands at a pivotal moment. The challenges facing our patients, our communities and our profession are complex, but so is our capacity to lead. I have spent my career preparing for this moment: caring for patients, training the next generation, advocating for change and investing in the future of family medicine.
I began my career in private practice and now serve as faculty in an urban residency program, but my purpose has remained constant: to provide full-spectrum, continuous care, including obstetrics, in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and to help others do the same. I navigate the same barriers our members face every day: administrative burden, coverage denials and the persistent challenges of addressing social determinants of health. These realities mirror those in rural communities like the one where I was raised in Iowa. Across settings, our members are asking the same question: how do we preserve the heart of family medicine while building a sustainable future?
I believe the answer lies in action, alignment and leadership. I have turned the frustrations we all share into purposeful advocacy, bringing the realities of our exam rooms into conversations to inform legislative changes and elevate the voice of family physicians where it matters most.
At the same time, I see our future in the learners we train and the leaders we cultivate. Teaching has been one of the greatest joys of my career. I am continually inspired by the students, residents and early-career physicians who I have the privilege to mentor. Supporting others as they find their voice and step into leadership has been among the most meaningful parts of my work, and I am proud of the many journeys that I have been able to walk alongside.
My commitment to family medicine also extends to philanthropy. Through my work with the AAFP Foundation, including funding two endowments, I have invested in the long-term success of students, residents and the communities they will serve.
I am a connector and a servant leader. I listen with intention, build trust and lead in partnership. I value relationships, seek to understand, and work to bring people together. If given the opportunity to serve as president-elect, I would work to unite our diverse membership around a shared vision: reducing administrative burden, strengthening the physician workforce, advancing health equity and ensuring that every family physician can thrive while delivering the care their patients deserve.
I would bring not only my experience, but also my heart for this specialty. I am committed to supporting you, advocating alongside you, and helping ensure that family medicine remains a place where physicians and patients alike can thrive. The future of family medicine will not be defined for us; it will be defined by us. I would be honored to serve and to lead together.
Sarah Sams, MD, FAAFP, is a passionate board-certified family physician, educator and advocate. For over 18 years, she has served as an associate director and full-time faculty member at Grant Family Medicine Residency in Columbus, Ohio, where she provides full-spectrum family medicine, including obstetrics and office-base procedures. She has trained over 200 family medicine residents and helped to showcase how bonds built through the patient-physician relationship are the true joy in family medicine. Prior to joining the residency faculty, Dr. Sams owned and operated her own independent, private practice and, as a result, understands the complexity of the business aspects in medicine. In fact, when her medical malpractice insurance rates for her independent practice skyrocketed, she got deeply invested in the advocacy efforts of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) and its coalition partners. That advocacy effort not only turned the tide for malpractice legislation in Ohio but also set her trajectory for a journey of unparalleled state-level leadership. This also sparked her passion for advocacy and her involvement in the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Prior to her service on the AAFP Board of Directors, Dr. Sams was a past president of the OAFP and served as an OAFP delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians Congress of Delegates. She served as chair of the AAFP Commission on Finance and Insurance, and the AAFP Commission on Governmental Advocacy (now the Commission on Federal and State Policy), as well as a multitude of state chapter committees that advanced OAFP’s strategic initiatives. Dr. Sams is adept at moderating thorny discussions, making certain that everyone feels heard, and bringing groups to thoughtful consensus. Dr. Sams has an outgoing personality; is a connector of people and thoughts; and has relationships with chapter members, leaders and staff across the country. She has mentored family physicians during the AAFP’s National Conference of Constituency Leaders, early-career leaders at AAFP’s FUTURE conference, and scholars of the AAFP Foundation’s Emerging Leader Institute.
In testament to her dedicated leadership and outstanding advocacy skills, her colleagues named Dr. Sams as the recipient of the 2012 OAFP Torchlight Leadership Award and in 2013 she was selected as the OAFP Foundation Philanthropist of the Year. She was recently recognized for her work as a recipient of the Ohio State University College of Medicine Community Practice Alumni Award.
Dr. Sams received her undergraduate degree in agriculture at Iowa State University and her medical degree at The Ohio State University. Her residency was completed at Grant Family Medicine in Columbus, Ohio, where she returned as faculty.
In her free time, Dr. Sams participates in her local and national church, and has served as a ruling elder and faculty for CREDO, a wellness program for pastors. She enjoys spending time with her family, including two adult daughters, Crystal and Grace, and fiancé, David. She is known for her quilting skills, which have benefitted both the OAFP and AAFP Foundations.