Committee Reports

International Committee Report

The International Committee of STFM is a special committee whose mission is to promote (1) the understanding and teaching of family medicine throughout the world, (2) the training of family physicians able to address health care needs in their communities, and (3) the spirit of international cooperation for the mutual development of all participants. The committee membership consists of STFM faculty with expertise and interest in the development of family medicine internationally. They work to foster exchange between teachers of family medicine to foster mutual learning, strengthen family and community medicine teaching throughout the world, and are involved in the development and distribution of culturally sensitive family medicine undergraduate and graduate curricula and teaching methodology.

Update
The 2007–2008 year has been eventful for the committee and its members. With a heavy heart, we were shocked along with the rest of the STFM family at the unexpected and untimely passing of Jack Rodnick, MD. Dr Rodnick was an energetic leader in international family medicine and a valuable member of our committee. His contributions and leadership were an inspiration to the committee, and he will be missed.

As the interest in international medicine continues to rise among medical students and family medicine residents, the interest in finding opportunities and building global health programs is increasing. To this end, many of the committee members attended and presented at the AAFP International Family Medicine Development Workshop held in Tucson, Ariz, in September 2007 with the theme “Equipping Others for Sustainable Health Outcomes.” Five of our members also served as editors for a special October edition of Family Medicine, which was devoted to global family medicine education (Fam Med 2007;39(9).)

Annual Meeting
During the 2007 STFM Annual Spring Conference in Chicago, the committee convened to hear reports on the international activities of members and available opportunities for involvement with other groups sharing committee goals. Members reviewed and discussed synergistic and relevant activities ongoing through the Global Health Education Consortium (GHEC), the AAFP International Family Medicine Workshop, and Wonca. Inis Bardella, MD, associate director of the Center for Global Health at the University of Colorado, was selected as chair-elect at the meeting. Ron Pust, MD, was selected as the 2007 recipient of the Gabe Smilkstein Award, given annually to honor that member of the STFM community who has worked in furthering the development of family medicine education throughout the world. Dr Pust’s 40-year career as an international health physician interfaces curriculum development with teaching and field research with clinical practice, including development of innovative programs at the CDC, Moi University in Kenya, and the University of Arizona.

Other Activities
Committee activities provide forums, through a variety of media, for those individuals involved in the advancement of the strategic goals of STFM abroad to network and share vision, strategies, and resources and to encourage one another in their endeavors. The committee listserve provides opportunities for discussion and exchange of expertise and even personnel for projects relevant to the committee’s goals. Networking among committee members is also aided by the committee’s newsletter and by the International Committee Workshop at the Annual Spring Conference. Sadly, our recurring workshop was not accepted for presentation this year, leaving our members without the opportunity for discussion and exchange of expertise that they have become accustomed to over the years. We hope that the Board will consider the critical convening function of this workshop for our committee in future conferences and help us work toward a viable and sustainable presence at the annual meeting. These and other opportunities for interchange permit those in international family medicine education, which are infrequently at the forefront of departmental priority setting, to achieve a sense of collegiality with their counterparts around the nation and world.

Goals
The committee’s goals for the next year include continuing to provide and expand these networking opportunities, producing a valuable contribution to knowledge of global health education through continued publication, and helping to coordinate and promote an active and visible presence of our members at relevant global health forums. In particular, these include the annual meetings of the Global Health Council and Global Health Education Consortium, the STFM Northeast Region Meeting, Wonca 2008, and at the AAFP’s Fall International Family Medicine workshop. We also hope to develop a project for submission for the Group Project Fund to further research and development in international family medicine.

Michael Miller, DO, Chair

International Committee
Chair-elect for 2008–2009: Inis Bardella, MD
Workshop Coordinator: Cal Wilson, MD

Steering Committee:
Andrew Bazemore MD, MPH 
William Cayley, MD, MDiv 
Allen Hixon, MD  
Tina Holt, MD  
Mark Huntington, MD, PhD
John McCall, PhD 
Michael Miller, DO 
Greg Raglow, MD 
Cal Wilson, MD