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FUTURE action: Resolutions and elections strengthen family medicine
Aug. 7, 2025, News Staff — Family medicine residents and medical students at FUTURE 2025 elected new leaders and passed resolutions to ensure they have the training and support they’ll need to give patients high-quality health care.
Delegates—one student and one resident from each chapter—worked together throughout the annual conference July 31-Aug. 2 in Kansas City, Missouri, on the actions that will shape the future of their specialty. The AAFP Board of Directors will review the resolutions they passed and assign commissions to take up these issues. Read on for resolution highlights, and review the final reports from the student and resident congresses for full details.
Artificial intelligence in medical school and residency
Resident and student delegates asked the AAFP to press forward on efforts to make sure artificial intelligence (AI) lives up to its full potential for family physicians.
After hearing how the Academy is working with stakeholders, including AI developers, residents discussed the growing need for education on the benefits and risks of bringing AI into physician workflows. Delegates ultimately passed a measure asking the AAFP to give residency programs a framework for adopting emerging technologies.
Student delegates passed a resolution advocating for AI education in medical schools with a focus on using these new tools in primary care, public health and community-based medicine. Students also reaffirmed the importance of the Academy’s ongoing work to develop guidance about best practices for using AI in patient care.
Bolstering clinical training for family medicine residents and students
Delegates adopted several measures to broaden their education about clinical issues, including autism, developmental disabilities and behavioral health.
One resident spoke in a committee hearing about a patient with a rare developmental disorder who struggled to find a primary care physician who could manage the complexities of their care. After the committee noted that residents don’t receive formal training on the topic, delegates voted to ask the AAFP to add a search category for adult developmental medicine/disability medicine to the Family Medicine Fellowship Directory and take other steps to prepare them to care for patients with disabilities.
A discussion of the barriers faced by people with autism, including lower vaccination rates, led to students passing a resolution asking for continuing medical education aimed at reducing health disparities for patients who have autism.
Students also asked the AAFP to advocate for competency-based certification in psychological first aid so family physicians are well-positioned to respond to acute psychological distress and trauma.
Advocacy for physicians and patients
Some of the other measures that student and resident delegates adopted ask the AAFP to
reduce the physician shortage, especially in underserved and rural areas, by advocating in support of visas for international medical graduates;
evaluate the benefits and risks of direct-to-consumer telehealth prescribing systems; and
advocate for mobile outreach and other clinical infrastructure that supports maternal RSV vaccination.
New family medicine resident and student leaders
Residents and students at FUTURE also elected their peers to leadership positions that will be confirmed by the AAFP Board of Directors and other organizations in the coming weeks.
Newly elected to resident leadership positions are:
Resident member, AAFP Board of Directors: Derek Southwick, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine/Ball Memorial Program
Resident chair, FUTURE 2026: Taree Chadwick, MD, Swedish Medical Center/First Hill Family Medicine Residency Program
Resident delegates, AAFP Congress of Delegates: Claire Namboodri, MD, Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center Program; Maria Paula Castro Reales, MD, Central Iowa Health System (Iowa Lutheran Hospital) Program
Resident member, AAFP Foundation Board of Trustees: Sammy Leadbetter, MD, University of Montana Family Medicine Residency Program
Resident member, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Board of Directors: Alexandra Greenberg, MD, MSPH, New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) Program
Resident member, Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors: Michelle Le, DO, Texas Institute of Graduate Medical Education and Research
Derek Southwick, MD
Taree Chadwick, MD
Newly elected to student leadership positions are:
Student member, AAFP Board of Directors: Payal Morari, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Student chair, FUTURE 2026: Molly Hurd, University of Vermont College of Medicine
Student delegates, AAFP Congress of Delegates: Lauren Hutchinson, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine; Ziad Sayed, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Student member, AAFP Foundation Board of Trustees: Andrea Augustine (retained for second year), Duke University School of Medicine
National coordinator, Family Medicine Interest Group Network: Amanda Lilley, Medical College of Georgia - Athens
Student member, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Board of Directors: Asia-La'Rae Walker, MPH, Campbell University - Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine
AAFP members such as those elected at FUTURE help shape the Academy’s policies and positions on issues that affect family medicine. Learn how you can take part in AAFP governance and choose a path to get involved at the national level or contact your chapter for other opportunities.
Payal Morari
Molly Hurd