Written by: Kenia Hernandez
The Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) is a student-led organization that empowers medical students on campus to learn more about the family medicine specialty. FMIG is sponsored by the Department of Family and Community Medicine and funded by the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians Foundation and the Alabama Rural Health Board.
FMIG recently selected its 2022-2023 executive leadership team. The team includes four medical students, all in their second year, who will collaborate to plan events with their departmental advisor, Ksenia Blinnikova, M.D., MPH, assistant professor, to increase awareness and education in family medicine among their peers.
Sam Johnson, Devin Dobbins, Lauren Mims, Hudson Honeywell will serve the organization this year as executive leaders. New to FMIG this year, an advisory team will assist the leadership team in planning events. The advisory team is composed of medical students in their third and fourth year and includes Betty Trushaw, Ben Nelson, Shefa Suhaila, Yulianna Jimenez and Hana Habchi.
Learn more about the new student leaders:
Devin Dobbins
Why did you decide to get involved with FMIG?
I have a passion for family medicine and want to share what family medicine is and what you can do with it with my colleagues.
What inspired you to pursue medicine?
I fell in love with family medicine after shadowing my family physician, and I see the need for more physicians in the rural areas of Alabama.
What are you most looking forward to about being a doctor?
I plan on moving back to the area I grew up in, so I am looking forward to taking care of the people of my community that took care of me and shaped me into who I am today.
What part of family medicine interests you the most?
Family medicine allows you to see all different types of patients, and you never know what a patient is going to come in with.
Hudson Honeywell
Why did you decide to get involved with FMIG?
I wanted to find one leadership position in medical school where I could invest myself. My goal has been to become a family physician since the beginning of high school, so FMIG was a perfect fit.
What inspired you to pursue medicine?
With my father being a family physician, I grew up seeing the impact he made in people’s lives. I knew that I also wanted to work in a field where I could be a part of changing lives and felt my gifts aligned well with medicine. I love working with people and I am the type of person that does not like when I do not know the answer to a question; medicine allows me the ability to help others while gaining a wealth of knowledge. There is a need for more primary care physicians and I believe my calling is to help fill that void.
What are you most looking forward to about being a doctor?
I think the best thing about being a doctor will be the authority to ensure patients get the help they need. Not knowing how to help someone or not having the platform and credibility to get someone in a position to receive the help they need is a terrible feeling. As a physician, I will be able to directly care for patients and make sure patients who need assistance outside what I can provide get that care.
What part of family medicine interests you the most?
I think the continuity of care is the most drawing factor of family medicine for me. Developing relationships with generations of families is a special privilege that I look forward to taking part in. I want to create a deep and lasting impact in the lives of my patients and seeing them on a consistent basis should make goal possible.
Sam Johnson
Why did you decide to get involved with FMIG?
I have been interested in family medicine for a while and originally did not know that FMIG existed. When I first heard about it, I knew I wanted to get involved so I could meet other like-minded students, acquire more information on the specialty, and gain opportunities to volunteer. Knowing that I most likely want to be a family doctor, this was the perfect chance for me!
What inspired you to pursue medicine?
Growing up, I often heard about what it’s like to care for people from my father who is a physical therapist. I saw how much he enjoyed helping others to solve their health problems and I think that was subconsciously instilled in me. As I went through school and even as I would go for check-ups to my primary care provider, it became clear to me that I was really interested in medicine. As I began to shadow physicians as an undergraduate, it was certain that I wanted to become one myself.
What are you most looking forward to about being a doctor?
For me, my main draw to medicine is that very opportunity to help others heal and be there for them as a friend and supporter. I will really value my patients’ trust as their physician and will love being able to give them what they need to enjoy a healthy life. I’ve been lucky to see firsthand how much something like beneficial healthcare can impact a person and I think I would love nothing more than to get to do that.
What part of family medicine interests you the most?
I feel as though family medicine will give me the best opportunity to get to know my patients, especially over the long term. I love the idea of being able to see the same patients throughout their lives and provide care on a medical and personal level.
Lauren Mims
Why did you decide to get involved with FMIG?
I was excited to get involved with FMIG to learn more about the important role that family medicine physicians play in healthcare. There are so many different avenues to explore family medicine and ways that physicians can personalize their own practice styles to better fit the community they serve. I have enjoyed hearing from many family medicine doctors in our own community and learning about their stories. I
What inspired you to pursue medicine?
Many things have inspired me to pursue medicine, but I would say my family has played a large role. I look up to both of my parents who have such kind and compassionate hearts. I think they motivated me to have the same attitude about learning and life, and medicine seemed like the perfect career to put those things in to practice.
What are you most looking forward to about being a doctor?
I most look forward to the opportunity to meet and learn about the people in the community I will serve in. I love having the opportunity to hear people’s stories. I am excited that family medicine is a field that allows you to develop strong patient relationships and be involved in supporting and caring for an entire community.
What part of family medicine interests you the most?
I think the most exciting and interesting part about family medicine to me is the opportunity to reach communities that may not have always had available and reliable access to healthcare. I love the idea of being able to use my career as a way to provide preventative healthcare and support the foundational needs of others and their families.