IFM | Plot twist: Embracing the unexpected in family medicine careers
Release Date: 10/05/2026
IFM | Plot twist: Embracing the unexpected in family medicine careers
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, host Adam Bradley talks with Victoria Boggiano, MD, MPH, and Connie Leeper, MD, MPH, about the unexpected turns that can shape a career in family medicine. Boggiano and Leeper share the experiences that led them to the specialty and the career “plot twists” that followed. Boggiano reflects on an early interest in health policy, anthropology and global health before finding her way to clinical medicine, public health and academic family medicine. Leeper discusses entering medicine with an interest in sports medicine and global...
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CME | When colleagues are struggling: a conversation on physician suicide prevention
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of CME On the Go, family physicians Janet West, MD, and Michelle Chestovich, MD, share deeply personal experiences with suicide and explore why physicians can struggle to recognize and address mental health challenges in themselves and their colleagues. Through their stories, they examine the culture of medicine, the stigma surrounding mental health treatment, and the importance of creating environments where asking for help is viewed as a strength rather than a weakness. Janet shares her experience surviving a suicide attempt in 2023 and reflects on how...
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FFFM | State and Local Advocacy at Work
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Fighting for Family Medicine, AAFP Vice President of Government Relations David Tully recaps the Academy’s September advocacy efforts before sitting down with Julie Harrison, Senior Manager of State Affairs and Member Advocacy, to examine some of the biggest policy trends and state-level wins for family medicine during the 2026 legislative sessions. Tully highlights the AAFP’s advocacy efforts during the months of August and September, including immunizations, Medicare physician payment, prior authorization, rural obstetric care and the primary care workforce....
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IFM | New Oral Medication to Prevent COVID-19 After Exposure
Inside Family Medicine
In this special sponsored episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, brought to you by Shionogi, host Darren Sextro talks with family physician Ben Silverberg, MD, about ensitrelvir, a newly approved oral medication for COVID-19 post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Dr. Silverberg explains how the medication works to inhibit viral replication and discusses findings from the Phase III SCORPIO-PEP trial, which evaluated ensitrelvir among household contacts of people with confirmed COVID-19. The conversation highlights the importance of starting post-exposure prophylaxis quickly, along...
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IFM | How we create vaccine guidance
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, host Michael Monroe talks with Margot Savoy, MD, MPH, FAAFP, AAFP chief medical officer and senior vice president for education, inclusiveness and physician well-being, and Danielle Carter, MD, FAAFP, about how the Academy develops evidence-based immunization recommendations in a changing vaccine policy environment. They explain how the AAFP historically worked alongside the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and other medical organizations to review vaccine evidence and translate it into practical...
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IFM | From Passion to Impact: How AAFP Foundation Programs Empower the Next Generation
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, host Margot L. Savoy, MD, MPH, FAAFP, talks with family medicine residents Katie Allan, MD, and Bridget Bunda, MD, recipients of the AAFP Foundation's Family Medicine Cares Resident Service Award. They share how a community-identified need in Boise grew into a resident-supported program providing wound care, health screenings and other services to people experiencing homelessness. The conversation explores what it means to meet patients where they are, build trust through consistency and listen before acting. Allan...
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FFFM | Strengthening immunization access and advocating for public health
Inside Family Medicine
Join David Tully, vice president of government relations and a member of the AAFP’s advocacy team, and Julie Riley, AAFP manager of legislative affairs, for this episode of Inside Family Medicine as they dive into the Academy’s work to protect vaccine access and evidence-based immunization policy at the federal and state levels. Get updates on the AAFP’s priorities around vaccine coverage and infrastructure, including efforts to close Medicare vaccine coverage gaps, protect immunization programs and...
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IFM | The FMIG effect: Finding community, building leaders and choosing family medicine
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, host Adam Bradley, AAFP Manager of Student Choice, explores how Family Medicine Interest Groups (FMIGs) help medical students discover the possibilities within family medicine. Student leaders Sharleen Cineas of Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and Gabriella Morin of East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine share what drew them to family medicine. They discuss the specialty’s emphasis on treating the whole person, caring for patients throughout...
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CME | AI as a Partner in Whole-Person Care: Empowering Clinicians, Enhancing Workflows
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of CME On the Go, our hosts explore artificial intelligence as a partner in whole-person care and examine how family physicians can thoughtfully incorporate AI into clinical practice without losing the human judgment and relationships at the heart of family medicine. They break down what today’s AI tools can – and cannot – do, including the differences between traditional artificial intelligence, large language models and the still-theoretical concept of artificial general intelligence. The conversation addresses common concerns...
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IFM | Residency Selection Improvement Initiative: Enhancing Family Medicine Recruitment and Applicant Experience
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, AAFP Executive Vice President and CEO, Shawn Martin, speaks with a panel of family medicine leaders about the Residency Selection Improvement Initiative, or RSII, and its goal of creating a more effective, efficient and equitable residency selection process. Guests Karen Mitchell, MD, FAAFP, AAFP Vice President of National Residency and Academic Partnerships; Grace Chen Yu, MD, FAAFP; Raj Woolever, MD, FAAFP; Saroj Misra, DO, FACOFP; and Molly Stegman, MD, discuss...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, host Adam Bradley talks with Victoria Boggiano, MD, MPH, and Connie Leeper, MD, MPH, about the unexpected turns that can shape a career in family medicine.
Boggiano and Leeper share the experiences that led them to the specialty and the career “plot twists” that followed. Boggiano reflects on an early interest in health policy, anthropology and global health before finding her way to clinical medicine, public health and academic family medicine. Leeper discusses entering medicine with an interest in sports medicine and global health before discovering a passion for teaching during an obstetrics fellowship and ultimately building a career in academics.
Their stories highlight one of family medicine’s defining strengths: flexibility. Because family physicians receive broad training, they can build careers that include outpatient care, hospital medicine, obstetrics, procedures, academics, advocacy, public health and other areas — and change that mix as their interests, communities and lives evolve. Boggiano and Leeper discuss why “full scope” does not have to mean the same thing for every physician and how family medicine allows physicians to continually redefine what their own practice looks like.
The conversation also offers practical advice for students, residents and early-career physicians facing an unexpected opportunity or difficult career decision. Boggiano and Leeper encourage physicians to identify what brings them joy, understand their value, ask for what they need and lean on mentors and the broader family medicine community. Whether a career change begins with a new opportunity or an unexpected “no,” they emphasize that family medicine training provides room to pivot, experiment and continue building a career aligned with personal values.
00:00 Family Medicine Career Plot Twists
01:23 Why they chose family medicine
03:21 When a career “no” creates a new path
05:00 Discovering an unexpected passion for academics
07:10 Why family medicine offers career flexibility
10:54 Advice for navigating a career plot twist
11:35 Knowing your value and finding the right job fit
13:11 Mentorship, networking and leaning on your community
15:13 If your family medicine career were a novel
17:54 Closing thoughts and career resources