Welcome to “The Network Note,” your go-to space for updates from the MSU-CHM Department of Family Medicine Residency Network (FMRN). Nine community-based Family Medicine residency programs across Michigan are proud members of the FMRN, which brings faculty, staff, and residents together to learn, grow, and collaborate. Through educational programs, training opportunities, support for scholarly work, and strong connections among programs, the FMRN helps foster professional development and a thriving community across the state.
Two of the most anticipated events each year—the Senior Resident Leadership Retreat and Annual Fall Retreat—bring our FMRN community together thanks to the thoughtful planning of Director, Molly Polverento, MSEd, CPH and FMRN Coordinator, Karla Cody. This Fall’s retreat kicked off with the PCRC Research Summit on Thursday evening during the FMRN Welcome Dinner. Retreat programming on Friday featured dynamic sessions on Artificial Intelligence led by MSU’s own Drs. Leonard Fleck and Stacy Pylman, sparking great conversations about how AI is shaping the future of medicine and medical education.
The Network also wouldn’t be what it is without our incredible member programs and their recent accomplishments! The Munson Family Medicine program secured two major grants—a $2.5 million Primary Care Training and Enhancement Residency Training in Street Medicine award to expand street medicine training and a $198,600 Michigan Health Endowment Fund grant to develop medical respite capacity in rural northern Michigan. Marquette residents have been active globally and locally, completing a Global Health rotation in Belize, presenting at the first Rural Health QI/Research Showcase in the Upper Peninsula (where four posters tied for third place), and hosting a Teddy Bear Clinic for children to explore doctor visits through play. UMH Sparrow/MSU program faculty advanced quality improvement work on suicide risk policy adherence, presenting at two conferences and program residents supported their community through “Socktober” sock donations for emergency room patients and weekly service on the Mobile Health Clinic, caring for underserved populations across the region.
