Personal History

Molly Clark, PhD is a tenured professor and associate program director in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She also holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Human Behavior and Psychiatry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She received my doctoral training at the University of Southern Mississippi, completed her residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and fellowship in health psychology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She is board certified in Clinical Health Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP).

Within family medicine, it is her privilege to train family medicine residents how to manage their patients from a biopsychosocial framework and work within an interdisciplinary team environment. In addition, she is responsible for continued scholarly activity and have a research interest in depression and pain management within primary care settings. She currently serves on the Mississippi Board of Psychology as credentialing coordinator, and as an oral examiner for the American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Health Psychology, and has held past positions on the Board of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Board of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, and served as chair of the UMMC School of Medicine Promotion and Tenure Committee. 

Position Statement

Inspired by our current weather situation, family medicine residency education can be described like a wintery mix weather pattern. There are some elements and components that are consistent and predictably navigated. Other elements are new and require slowing down and determining a way to navigate them well. Additionally, there are directional shifts that we may or may not see on the horizon that will require some flexibility. In keeping with that metaphor and like GPS and Roadside Assistance, I am confident that the leadership and membership of STFM has the creativity, resourcefulness, and mindfulness to prepare and address our journey into the future of residency education no matter the driving conditions.

I believe in having a strong strategic plan (know where you are going), being able to anticipate needs (being proactive rather than reactive), and yet also having the agility to advocate for change and deftly maneuver, if needed. I also believe that we need strategic partners and support as we move forward into the future. One of the best strengths of this organization is its members and leadership. I look forward to drawing upon the resources that we already have as we move family medicine education and the profession forward for the betterment of our patients, communities, and national/global health.

Answers to Candidate Questions

What actions does STFM need to take to move STFM toward the goal of being the indispensable professional home for all family medicine educators?

STFM is the home for all family medicine educators. STFM provides so many resources. It holds a community of knowledgeable individuals who are some of the most giving people I have ever known. This community creates amazing resources, presents them, shares them and continues to work together to improve our profession. The next step is communicating what we have and keeping this information at the forefront of our members. When a family medicine educator has a question, they need think STFM has the answer.

Choose one or two key challenges you anticipate that STFM will face in the next 3 years and describe a potential course of action to address each challenge.

STFM shares a challenge with the profession of family medicine as a whole. This challenge is recruiting and building/developing our family medicine workforce, including faculty to teach within family medicine. There have been many changes including but not limited to accreditation standards, expanding residency programs, legal and regulatory shifts, that have had a tremendous impact on family medicine. STFM can be a leader in helping to coordinate actions that move patient care and education forward in unison.

Share your experience at bringing people together with diverse agendas and finding common ground

As I reflect on my involvement over the years, I find that I have a passion for helping others. Passion, even in helping others, needs direction or it can become chaos. I think that everyone has something to offer. The key to being successful in my past leadership positions is listening to what people want to offer, coordinating the efforts, and implementing a strategy to disseminate what is being offered. Listening and communication are cornerstones of developing common ground and moving people forward.