The Department of Family Medicine (DFM) participated in the third annual Family Medicine Midwest (FMM) Conference, held October 10-12, 2014, in Minneapolis.

Creative approaches to improving primary care was the focus of “Innovate and Invigorate,” the third annual Family Medicine Midwest (FMM) Conference, held October 10-12, 2014, in Minneapolis.

This year, 13 Department of Family Medicine (DFM) faculty, residents and staff, along with one UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) student, presented at the conference. Fifty-two enthusiastic SMPH students joined them for valuable networking and educational experiences.

Preconference Events and Plenary Performances

The meeting kicked off with preconference events on prescription medication affordability, global health, maternal care and population/community health. The DFM’s Joan Hamblin, MD, led the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors’ meeting later that day.

Live music filled the air at the next morning’s creative opening plenary session, Hippocrates Café. Founded by University of Minnesota family physician Jon Hallberg, MD, Hippocrates Caféexplores complex health care topics through spoken-word performances and musical selections by professional performers.

Meet the DFM Presenters

Over the next two days, attendees chose from 45 educational sessions on family medicine teaching and practice. Seven of those sessions were presented by the DFM:

  • Mark Beamsley, MD; Christie Legler, ACUME; David Deci, MD: Professionalism in Medical Education: Is What You See What You Get?
  • Jennifer Lochner, MD; Robin Lankton, MPH, CHES; Kirsten Rindfleisch, MD:From Individuals to Populations: Engaging Residents in Learning About the Forest AND the Trees
  • A. Ildiko Martonffy, MD, IBCLC; Thomas Hahn, MD:Managing Common Dental Health Concerns
  • David M. Deci, MD:Running with the Big Dogs: Insuring Medical Student Success in Going from Books to Bedside
  • Jonas Lee, MD; Daniel Ziebell(SMPH student):Predicting Health Care Utilization with the Patient Activation Measure and a Single Item General-Self Rated Health Measure
  • Kjersti E Knox, MD; Jacob Bidwell, MD; Bethany Howlett, MD, MHS: Obesity High Five!: Training Residents, Faculty, and Medical Students to Take On Obesity
  • Joan Hamblin, MD: Changing Times: Analysis of a Transition from a University-Administered to a University-Affiliated Family Medicine Community Residency Program

DFM faculty Irene Hamrick, MD, and Eau Claire resident Nicholas Anderson, MD, also presented poster sessions on elder home safety and cervical cancer screening, respectively.

Innovations in Community Care

Rounding out the conference was a second plenary session, “Delivering New Value for High-Risk Patients and their Families,” presented by David Moen, MD.

A family physician, former CEO of Fairview Health Network, and management consultant, Dr. Moen spoke about new models of community-based health care for high-risk patients. He explained how those models, if scaled well, can evolve from the fringes of health care into sustainable long-term solutions.


The FMM Conference is presented by the Family Medicine Midwest Foundation, a collaboration of family medicine stakeholders from 12 Midwest states. The event is held in association with the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine(STFM) and with the support of the Association of the Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM).

Special thanks to the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) for meeting management, and to all the committee members, faculty, learners, and staff who made the conference a success!

Published: January 2015