A Quarter of a Century of Family Medicine at Michigan

Over the past 25 years, the Department of Family Medicine has evolved from a small group of four faculty and three staff members, based in Chelsea, Michigan, to a large and successful academic department of 59 faculty members, 30 residents, a staff of 175, and five community health centers. With an emphasis on both clinical outreach and research excellence, the department is currently ranked 4th in the nation among accredited medical schools by U.S. News and World Report.

Tom Schwenk Photo: Martin Vloet

Founding chair Terence C. Davies, M.D., and current chair Thomas L. Schwenk (M.D. 1975) are credited with developing the department to its widely recognized prominence. Davies was asked to take the first step by the University after a 1975 study recommended the formation of a Medical School Department of Family Practice, as it was originally called. Of the experience, Davies said, "I would never again wish to feel as lonely as I did in March of 1978, but I doubt that I will ever experience greater professional satisfaction than I did four years later, when the first residents graduated from the program."

Schwenk is credited with establishing the Department of Family Medicine as a major academic department, with critical contributions to the U-M Medical School 's research and educational programs, including the medical student core curriculum. Schwenk cites "the values, hard work and dedication of its faculty and staff" as the force behind the department's success. His goal for the next 25 years is "to use that leadership role to promote the importance of first contact, community-based preventative and routine health care for all U.S. residents; to teach the next generation of family physician leaders who provide this care; and to advance the quality of this care through its clinical and translational research programs."

-JP