Family Medicine Rising: Becoming the Physician Leaders Our Patients Need Us to Be

Exploring the journey of physician leadership through the lens of personal growth, systemic transformation, and professional relevance and framed around Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory – particularly Generativity vs. Stagnation – this presentation emphasizes the importance of physicians staying engaged, mentoring others, and contributing meaningfully to their communities to maintain relevance and personal fulfillment. The speaker will draw parallels between physicians and superheroes, advocating for a cultural movement (#FMRevolution) that reclaims the purpose and power of family medicine. Physicians will be encouraged to reconnect with their original motivations – their “origin stories” – and to lead with vision, action, and joy. Leveraging Starfield’s “4 Cs” (first contact, continuity, comprehensiveness, and coordination), the presentation offers a framework for measuring value in primary care and calls for system-wide shifts in resource allocation toward primary care to improve outcomes and reduce costs. The presentation mixes humor and advocacy, invoking “fight club” rules for family medicine reform while underscoring serious challenges in U.S. healthcare. Ultimately, it inspires physicians to “be there” and “give a damn,” urging them to embody the leaders their patients and communities need them to be.