AAFP Board of Directors
The first board of directors of the American Academy of General Practice was formed in June 1947. Since then, our board has shaped the American Academy of Family Physicians into what we know today.
The board of directors carries out activities and resolutions in between Congress of Delegates meetings and on behalf of family medicine and the Congress of Delegates. The board, in turn, appoints commissions to help carry out its activities. Board members meet in person five times annually and virtually up to two times annually to accomplish the organization's business.
In addition to carrying out the directives of the Congress of Delegates, the board is also responsible for a periodic review of non-clinical AAFP policy statements, strategic planning, board metric development, and recommendations from the eight commissions.
Meet the Board of Directors
Tochi Iroku-Malize, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAFP
President
Tochi Iroku-Malize, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAFP, serves as founding chair and professor of family medicine for the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in Hempstead, New York, and senior vice president and chair of the family medicine service line for Northwell Health. In this role, she oversees four family medicine residency programs, three fellowships, with more than 100 residents, 380 medical students and 500 family physicians spread across 23 hospitals.
Steven P. Furr, MD, FAAFP
President-Elect
Steven P. Furr, MD, FAAFP, is a family physician in Jackson, Alabama. He is the co-founder of Family Medical Clinic of Jackson, which also supports a small rural hospital and a local nursing home. Furr has cared for patients for more than 35 years, including obstetrics care for more than 25 years. He is a certified medical director, as well as a certified medical examiner.
Sterling N. Ransone Jr., MD, FAAFP
Board Chair
Sterling N. Ransone, Jr., MD, FAAFP, is a family physician in Deltaville, Virginia. He is a third-generation family physician and has practiced rural medicine for more than 20 years. He currently serves as the physician practice director at Riverside Fishing Bay Family Practice in Deltaville. In addition to his office practice, Ransone is an assistant clinical professor of family medicine and population health at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Russell W. Kohl, MD, FAAFP
Speaker
Russell W. Kohl, MD, FAAFP, is a family physician living in Stilwell, Kansas, and a member of the Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians. He is Chief Medical Officer with TMF Health Quality Institute, a Medicare quality improvement organization serving Arkansas, Nebraska, Mississippi, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. He also cares for patients at Whiteman Air Force Base as a Senior Flight Surgeon and State Air Surgeon for the Missouri Air National Guard.
Daron W. Gersch, MD, FAAFP
Vice Speaker
Daron W. Gersch, MD, FAAFP, is a family physician with CentraCare hospital in Long Prairie, Minnesota. He works full-time as the ER medical and trauma director and provides ER care at CentraCare - Long Prairie hospital. He also currently serves as the medical director at Mother of Mercy nursing home in Albany, Minnesota. He is on the PROTECT Initiative for the CDC and served on the medical review panel for familydoctor.org.
R. Shawn Martin
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
R. Shawn Martin serves as executive vice president and chief executive officer for the American Academy of Family Physicians. He works with the AAFP Board of Directors on the mission, strategy, and vision for the AAFP and provides representation to other organizations, including medical, public and private sectors. He also serves on the board of directors of the AAFP Foundation, the charitable arm of the AAFP.
Jennifer L. Brull, MD, FAAFP
Director
Jennifer L. Brull, MD, FAAFP, is a family physician in Plainville, Kansas. She practiced family medicine in rural Kansas for 20 years and now serves as vice president of clinical engagement for Aledade, a company that partners with independent primary care physicians to succeed in value-based care.
Mary F. Campagnolo, MD, MBA, FAAFP
Director
Mary F. Campagnolo, MD, MBA, FAAFP, is a family physician in Bordentown, New Jersey. Campagnolo has practiced family medicine for 35 years, currently at Virtua Primary Care of Mansfield. In addition, she serves as medical director of Virtua Medical Group Value Based Programs and Payer Contracts. In this role, she oversees collaboration with commercial and government health insurers.
Todd D. Shaffer, MD, MBA, FAAFP
Director
Todd D. Shaffer, MD, MBA, FAAFP, is a family physician in Kansas City, Missouri. He has practiced family medicine for 31 years. Since 1995, he has served the University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Medicine as assistant professor, associate professor, and then professor of family medicine. He also served as family medicine residency program director from 2002 to 2017. Shaffer practices the full scope of family medicine through University Physicians Associates at Truman Medical Centers and the Lakewood Medical Pavilion.
Gail Guerrero-Tucker, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Director
Gail Guerrero-Tucker, MD, MPH, FAFP, is affiliated with the Gila Valley Clinic in Safford, Arizona, as well as the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center in Safford. Tucker spent 20 years working in the banking industry before attending medical school in 1997. She currently works with the National Kidney Foundation on micro learning events.
Sarah C. Nosal, MD, FAAFP
Director
Sarah C. Nosal, MD, FAAFP, vice president for Innovation & Optimization and chief medical information officer at The Institute for Family Health, an FQHC network with 27-plus Mid-Hudson, Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn locations. As CMIO she secured financial support for IT infrastructure and helped her institution become a regional leader in data sharing and ensuring equitable information access. Nosal's focus is on care of marginalized communities with two decades of practice in the South Bronx. She also serves as medical director for NYU and Einstein student-run free clinics.
Karen L. Smith, MD, FAAFP
Director
Karen L. Smith, MD, FAAFP, is a family physician in Raeford, North Carolina. Smith established her own independent private practice in 2003, providing comprehensive family medicine. Smith has served as chair of the AAFP Commission on Governmental Advocacy and chair of the AAFP Congress of Delegates Reference Committee on Practice Enhancement. Her personal, clinical, and professional excellence was recognized in 2017 when she was named the AAFP Family Physician of the Year.
Kisha Davis, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Director
Kisha Davis, MD, MPH, FAAFP, is vice president of Health Equity at Aledade in Maryland. She is also vice chair of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), advising Congress, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and states on Medicaid policy. Davis has served numerous roles within the AAFP notably as new physician director, and later convener of the National Conference of Constituency Leaders. She is a past president of the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians.
Jay Lee, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Director
Jay Lee, MD, MPH, FAAFP, is chief medical officer at Share Our Selves, a federally qualified health center in Orange County, California. Lee co-founded the Family Medicine Revolution, a grassroots social media brand (#FMRevolution) giving the power of telling family medicine’s story to family physicians. He has been recognized by the California Academy of Family Physicians and the Primary Care Collaborative for his contributions to family medicine.
Teresa L. Lovins, MD, FAAFP
Director
Teresa L. Lovins, MD, FAAFP, is currently a physician owner at Lovin My Health DPC in Columbus, Indiana. Lovins, has worked in a variety of practice settings and helped to get both an employer-based clinic and a group practice off the ground. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lovins opened her own hometown direct primary care practice - Lovin My Health DPC.
Rupal B. Bhingradia, MD, FAAFP, FCUCM
New Physician Member
Rupal B. Bhingradia, MD, FAAFP, FCUCM, is the new physician member of the board of directors. Bhingradia is chief medical officer at Medexcel USA, where she oversees more than 25 urgent care offices in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In addition, she serves as an urgent care physician at New York Doctors Urgent Care and on the advisory council for Master Clinicians, a CME company focused on education in urgent care, telemedicine and hospital medicine.
Chase Mussard, MD
Resident member
Chase Mussard, MD, is the resident member of the board of directors. He is a third-year family medicine resident at Oregon Health and Science University. As a medical student, Mussard was active in East Tennessee University’s Family Medicine Interest Group and has served in multiple national leadership positions for the AAFP.
Richard Easterling
Student Member
Richard Easterling is the student member of the board of directors. He is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Easterling serves on the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors as well as on the AAFP Commission on Federal and State Policy.
Conflict of Interest
In accordance with AAFP policy, members of the AAFP Board of Directors are required to provide AAFP with a statement regarding actual or potential conflicts of interest. Conflict of interest statements for individual directors are available upon request. Requests should be directed to the General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Administration and Human Resources at HLeith@aafp.org.
President’s Corner: Hear more from your AAFP President.
Minutes Archive
Explore board meeting notes dating back to 1995 to understand policy, procedures, and the “why” behind the AAFP. Information is organized using a reference page indicating where full text may be found.
About the Board
Learn more about the responsibilities, including time commitment and remuneration, for each position. You can also find out how to get involved.