Student Delegate Report 2024 National Conference

 

I had the opportunity to attend the AAFP National Conference in Kansas City, MO, and serve as the Illinois student delegate to the National Congress of Student Members. National Conference is geared especially toward residents and medical students, and this was my first time attending! I had never really participated in organized medicine before, so I was looking forward to the experience; ultimately, I could not have enjoyed it more. I went to National Conference being interested in family medicine, but I left knowing with certainty that family medicine is the field for me.

Day one started with a joint congress session with both resident and student state delegates. We were able to hear annual reports from AAFP Board members, National Delegates, and Commission members. It was so interesting to hear about all the ways that residents and medical students were using their positions to represent our voices and the incredible work that they are doing at the national level. This session also involved opening nominations for national positions to be elected by the congress and a workshop on resolution writing to prepare delegates for the resolution submission window that day. After congress, I sat with other students and discussed the resolutions that they were planning to write over lunch. I loved hearing about what parts of healthcare/family medicine my peers were passionate about and wanted to see increased efforts in tackling those topics. Some great ideas I heard included increasing cardiovascular screening efforts in South Asian populations and doing more research on how family physicians can better care for children with special needs.

The next day was very busy and so much fun! I attended a couple of the educational sessions offered in the morning, and then had congress (this time separate from the residents) in the afternoon. The alternate Illinois student delegate, Kat Jeffreys, also attended this session and together we heard reports from AAFP representatives to other organizations, such as the AMA, AAFP Foundation, and STFM. I loved hearing how much these organizations value student input and the perspective of family physicians. As an AAFP student representative to the Center for Global Health Initiatives, I also presented my annual report to congress. Later, myself and my CGHI resident counterpart led a session on decolonization in global health. Later that evening, I was able to attend a dinner for Illinois FM residents and students, and I had such a good time making new connections.

My final day at National Conference was mainly spent listening to speeches and electing the newest AAFP Board members. I left Saturday afternoon so energized from hearing about the work that future (and current) family physicians are doing at the state, national, and global levels and looking forward to seeing what the new leadership will accomplish during their terms. This experience really allowed me to reflect on what I see my career in family medicine looking like someday, and exposed me to possibilities I never would have known about otherwise. I am so excited to continue pursuing family medicine and can’t wait to return to the conference again next year, with it's new name:  National Conference on the FUTURE of Family Medicine! 

Shurthi Mekala is the IAFP Student President-Elect and enrolled at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. 

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