IFM | For rural doctors, impactful work must be supported
Release Date: 11/02/2026
IFM | For rural doctors, impactful work must be supported
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, host Rebecca Fuller Beeler talks with Kimberly Becher, MD, a West Virginia family physician and chair of the AAFP’s new Rural Health Advisory Committee, about the challenges, opportunities and future of practicing family medicine in rural communities. Becher shares what drew her to family medicine and why she has spent her career practicing in a community without a hospital. She discusses the broad scope and flexibility of rural practice, where physicians may care for patients across generations while navigating limited access...
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FFFM | A Seat at the Table: Affordability Working Group on Healthcare
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Fighting for Family Medicine, AAFP Vice President of Government Relations David Tully recaps the Academy’s October advocacy efforts before talking with Maryland family physician Amar Duggirala, MD, about his experience representing family medicine at a congressional roundtable focused on health care affordability. Tully begins with updates from across the AAFP’s advocacy work, including the installation of Kisha Davis, MD, MPH, FAAFP, as AAFP president and her participation in a federal discussion on preventing congenital syphilis. He also highlights AAFP...
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IFM | Whole Health: Medicine’s Course Correction
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, Andrew Bazemore, MD, MPH, and Beth Polk, MD, FAAFP join us to discuss whole health in primary care. Dr. Bazemore distinguishes whole health (physical, behavioral, spiritual and socioeconomic well-being across individuals, families and communities) from whole health care (how care is organized), emphasizing a shift from “What’s the matter with you?” to “What matters to you?” Dr. Polk connects whole health to lifestyle medicine’s pillars and stresses addressing drivers of outcomes beyond the exam room, including social needs. They cite...
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CME | Brave new world AI & Family Medicine
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of CME On the Go, host Tamaan Osbourne-Roberts, MD, talks with family physician Jennifer Bryan, MD, FAAFP, about the rapidly expanding role of artificial intelligence in medicine and what family physicians need to know to use these tools safely, effectively and responsibly. Jennifer begins by breaking down the different forms of AI physicians may encounter, from large language models and predictive tools to generative and agentic AI. She explains how these technologies are already embedded in electronic health records, clinical decision support, remote monitoring, and...
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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...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, host Rebecca Fuller Beeler talks with Kimberly Becher, MD, a West Virginia family physician and chair of the AAFP’s new Rural Health Advisory Committee, about the challenges, opportunities and future of practicing family medicine in rural communities.
Becher shares what drew her to family medicine and why she has spent her career practicing in a community without a hospital. She discusses the broad scope and flexibility of rural practice, where physicians may care for patients across generations while navigating limited access to specialists, emergency transportation, food, reliable utilities and other resources. At the same time, she challenges assumptions that rural medicine is less innovative, describing opportunities to test new care models, use emerging technologies and even participate in clinical research.
The conversation also explores why the AAFP created its Rural Health Advisory Committee. Becher discusses a shrinking and aging rural physician workforce, hospital closures, financial pressures on outpatient practices, and the need to ensure family physicians can practice at the full scope of their training. The committee is examining workforce development, sustainable payment, administrative burden, rural training, and other factors that can help recruit physicians to rural communities — and give them reasons to stay.
Becher also shares how addressing patients’ needs sometimes requires thinking beyond traditional clinical care. She describes a project that provided patients experiencing food insecurity with vouchers to choose their own fresh fruits and vegetables, illustrating how relatively small interventions can have a meaningful effect on patients and their relationship with their care team. Looking ahead, the Rural Health Advisory Committee plans to develop a rural health roadmap for family medicine while finding ways to incorporate perspectives from rural physicians, students and others throughout the family medicine community.
For medical students and residents considering rural practice, Becher’s advice is simple: find the people and the type of work that resonate with you. Rural family medicine can offer broad clinical experience, independence, strong community relationships and opportunities to make an impact that extends far beyond the exam room.
References and resources
Chapter markers
00:00 Introduction and meet Dr. Kimberly Becher
01:09 Why she chose family medicine
02:10 The unique challenges of rural health care
04:48 Why choose rural practice?
06:20 Introducing the Rural Health Advisory Committee
07:39 Building and sustaining the rural physician workforce
08:36 What would make the biggest difference in rural medicine?
10:18 Addressing food insecurity and making an impact beyond the exam room
12:19 Building a rural health roadmap for family medicine
15:20 Advice for students and residents considering rural practice