FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022
Contact:
Janelle Davis
Public Relations Strategist
American Academy of Family Physicians
(913) 912-0377
jdavis@aafp.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. —The American Academy of Family Physicians today presented three prestigious awards to family physicians for their exceptional contributions to family medicine, patients, and communities.
Monica Hahn, MD, received the AAFP’s Public Health Award for her important contributions to advance the health of the public. Hahn currently serves as associate professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, where she leads the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center, a large public health organization housed at UCSF. She understands the critical impact family physicians and interdisciplinary primary care teams can have in the fight against HIV and is an exemplary example of leveraging her public health, clinical and teaching experience for the betterment of public health.
Shou Ling Leong, MD, FAAFP, received the AAFP’s Thomas W. Johnson Award for her profound contributions to family medicine education. Leong currently serves as assistant dean for Pathways Innovation at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which aims to increase the number of underrepresented populations in medicine. Leong also serves as director of the 3+3 Family Medicine Accelerated Pathway, in which students complete three years of medical school, followed by three years of residency within Penn State health system. This longitudinal, integrated program produces graduates who are patient-centered, empathetic, and well trained to practice family medicine.
Timothy Switaj, MD, MBA, MHA, FAAFP, received the AAFP’s Robert Graham Physician Executive Award for his leadership efforts at the U.S. Department of Defense to improve access to high-quality health care for members of the U.S. Military and their families. Switaj is currently the chief medical officer of the Defense Health Agency’s San Antonio Market, where he develops and implements clinical policies for the largest teaching health system in the Department of Defense. Switaj also leads the Defense Health Agency’s Patient-Centered Home Advisory Board, where he oversees policy development for the entire Military Health System.
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About American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 130,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits — that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine and the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.