AAFP National Conference – Resident Report
Rebekka DePew – West Suburban Family Medicine Residency, Illinois 2021 Delegate

I had an excellent time attending the AAFP National Conference of Students and Residents in July. During the conference, I was able to attend many interesting workshops, including a workshop on EKG interpretation and an information on direct primary care. I was also able to attend a couple of networking sessions, including the Hospital Medicine Interest Group and the Midwest regional meet-up for residents and medical students. I had a great time meeting new people from the Midwest and from around the country and hearing about their diverse interests, experiences, and career goals. (I also took the opportunity to promote Illinois and the Chicago area as excellent places to pursue residency training!)

One of the most exciting parts of the National Conference for me was the ability to work with the resolution-forming committees, and then participate in the Resident Congress. It was awesome to hear about the topics brought up as possible resolutions and to learn from my colleagues about different issues that they have witnessed so far in their training. It was also quite inspiring to hear from all the candidates for elected positions.

I wanted to include some shout-outs to excellent work by IAFP members. Dr. Beverly Onyekwuluje, a first-year resident at Northwestern Delnor Family Medicine and our alternate delegate. She was elected as the Resident Representative to the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors. In addition, Dr. Eric Sullivan of Northwestern Family Medicine sponsored a resolution that was accepted by the Resident Congress. His resolution asked the AAFP to support the development of a national bureau for gun safety. I was certainly proud to be part of such an incredible group of residents from Illinois!

Overall, National Conference was such a fun and educational weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to connect with residents from around the country who were passionate about similar issues, even over the virtual platform. I am so excited to (hopefully) see National Conference in person again next year!