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Award-winning mentor eager to ‘shape the next generation’
July 31, 2025, David Mitchell—Adam Shammami, DO, found his place in family medicine, despite the fact that his medical school didn’t have a family medicine interest group.
As an associate professor and FMIG faculty advisor at Oakland University’s William Beaumont Hospital School of Medicine, Shammami is doing his best to make sure students get ample exposure to the specialty.
“Although I wasn’t involved in FMIG as a student, I’ve come to deeply appreciate its value as I’ve grown in my understanding of family medicine,” he said. “FMIGs play a vital role in introducing students to the breadth and depth of the specialty, fostering early interest and building a sense of community. It creates a space where students can explore the unique aspects of family medicine—continuity of care, community engagement and whole-person treatment—often before they’ve had much clinical exposure. What matters to me now is the opportunity to support our FMIG and help inspire future family physicians, especially those who, like me, may not have discovered their passion for the field right away.”
Shammami, who has served as his school’s FMIG advisor for eight years, will be honored with the Joyce Jeardeau Memorial Award Aug. 1 during FUTURE (formerly the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students) in Kansas City, Missouri. That award honors a faculty advisor or staff supporter who exemplifies unwavering dedication to an FMIG and the future of family medicine. Oakland’s FMIG also will be honored with a Program of Excellence Award during the event.
In their nomination letter, Shammami’s students said he had played a vital role in planning and executing their events, ensuring that the FMIG had more activities than other interest groups at the school.
Shammami said he chose family medicine because it offered the opportunity to form meaningful connections with patients across all generations.
“During medical school, I found something to love in every rotation—whether it was pediatrics, internal medicine or obstetrics,” he said. “I enjoyed the variety, the problem-solving and the relationships I built in each setting. Family medicine brings all of that together. It allows me to care for the whole person across the lifespan while building long-term relationships rooted in trust and continuity. That blend of breadth, depth and connection is exactly what I was looking for in a career.”
Shammami didn’t have the benefit of an FMIG as a student, but he got an early introduction to primary care. His Catholic family fled religious persecution and war in Iraq. He left his country at age 9, eventually settling in the United States at 12.
“I was really young, and I picked up the language quickly,” he said. “I was my parents’ translator for doctor appointments and things like that. I’ve always been fascinated by how the body works and the ability to use that knowledge to make real differences in people’s lives. Medicine offers me a chance to problem solve and be a compassionate listener.”
When young Shammami was translating for his parents, the doctor on the other side of the conversation was typically a family physician.
“It was always with the primary care physician,” he said. “That really inspired me. I always felt like, no matter what it is, we can go to this person, and they treat everything, whether it’s a cardiac issue, an infection issue or a GI issue. And they also made connections across generations because they also were my doctor and my siblings’ doctor.”
Shammami, who also is faculty at Corewell Health Family Medicine Residency in Troy, Michigan, said if he had not become a physician, he likely would have been a teacher.
“During my training, I was inspired by mentors who not only practiced excellent medicine but also took the time to teach and challenge me to think critically,” he said. “I wanted to be part of that cycle—helping shape the next generation of physicians while continuing to grow myself.”
Shammami also serves as medical director of the residency program’s substance use disorder clinic, which he received a grant to start and maintain. The clinic has a certified alcohol and drug counselor, a pharmacist and a peer recovery coach.
“They get to see a primary care provider here within our office, so it’s a one-stop shop,” said Shammami, who splits his clinical time between addiction and primary care.
Shammami has given nearly two dozen local, state and regional presentations on addiction-related topics and has served on several local committees focused on the topic.
“Our communities continue to be devastated by the opioid crisis, and we are losing far too many lives to this disease,” he said. “As a family physician, I see it as my responsibility to prevent, identify and treat substance use disorders just as I would any other chronic illness. This approach not only reduces stigma but also ensures that patients receive compassionate, evidence-based care. I believe that integrating addiction medicine into primary care is essential to healing individuals, families and communities.”
You can learn more about the Program of Excellence and Joyce Jeardeau awards here.