FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 6, 2020
Contact:
Leslie Champlin
American Academy of Family Physicians
913-906-6252
lchampli@aafp.org
WASHINGTON—The American Academy of Family Physicians is pleased to announce that Jack Westfall, MD, MPH, has joined the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care as director. In this position, he will direct and participate in the Center’s family medicine-focused research portfolio, which focuses on health care demographics, the physician workforce, the impact of policy on access to and quality of health care, the economics of health care and other issues.
“Jack brings a wealth of research and leadership expertise to the Graham Center,” said Shawn Martin, senior vice president for advocacy, practice advancement and policy. “Throughout his career, he has focused on improving medicine through his own research and through his work with medical students and tomorrow’s medical scholars. He has contributed to hundreds of research articles, books and scientific presentations, and he served as mentor or research advisor to 55 aspiring researchers. We are excited about Jack’s leadership of the Robert Graham Center and his continued contributions to family medicine.”
A practicing family physician since 1992, Westfall also has taught medical students and residents and conducted health and policy research. Before joining the Robert Graham Center, he was medical director at both the Healthy Communities Branch at the Santa Clara, California, Public Health Department and Whole Person Care at Santa Clara County Health and Hospitals. In addition, he has served as professor of family medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, and a practicing family physician in the rural Colorado communities of Limon, Ft. Morgan, and his home town, Yuma, Colorado.
A prolific researcher and writer, Westfall is author or co-author of 130 research articles in multiple peer-reviewed journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, JAMA, the Journal of the ABFM, Academic Medicine and the Journal of Rural Health. In addition, he has contributed to seven books on topics ranging from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to patient engagement.
Throughout his career, Westfall has received numerous research and educational awards, including the North American Primary Care Research Group President’s Award, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Advocate Award and the State Networks of Colorado Ambulatory Award of Excellence for practice-based research.
Westfall earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1991 and his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Kansas in 1993. He completed his residency in family medicine at the University of Colorado Department of Family Medicine, where he served as chief resident from 1994 to 1995.
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About American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 130,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits — that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited 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 and the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.