VCU School of Medicine Celebrates National Primary Care Week

By Sathya Achia Abraham

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine is hosting National Primary Care Week, an annual event that brings together health care professionals from medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and public health to highlight the importance of primary care and learn about interdisciplinary care.
 
The event titled “The Future of Primary Care in America,” takes place Oct. 19 to Oct. 23 on the MCV Campus of VCU.

This year’s event features several distinguished guest speakers who will discuss timely topics, including important policies that influence debt and career outcomes, quality of care and the impact of policy reform on public, governmental and private purchasers of care, the business sector and health care providers. The lectures are open to faculty, students and the public.

Oct. 19    The Future Workforce: Physician Payment and What Influences Medical Student and Resident Choices
12 p.m., Molecular Medicine Research Building 1009/1011, 1220 E. Marshall St.
Speaker: Robert L. Phillips, Jr., M.D., director of the Robert Graham Center, a policy and research center dedicated to improving health by enhancing primary care

The Value Proposition in Health Care
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., George Ben Johnson Auditorium, 305 North 12th St.
Speaker: Sheldon Retchin, M.D., CEO of the VCU Health System and vice president for VCU Health Sciences

Oct. 20    Patient Centered Medical Home
12 p.m.-1 p.m., Sanger Hall 3-016, 1101 E. Marshall St.
Speaker: Anton J. Kuzel, M.D., chair of the VCU Department of Family Medicine

Oct. 21    Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making us Sick?
5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Hermes Kontos Medical Sciences Building Rooms 104/105, 1217 E. Marshall St.
A screening and discussion of the opening episode of the award-winning PBS documentary series “In Sickness and In Wealth”

Oct. 22    Health Care Reform 101
12 p.m.-1 p.m., Sanger 3-016, 1101 E. Marshall St.
Speaker: Winston Liaw, M.D., a health policy fellow at the Robert Graham Center and practicing family physician in Virginia. Liaw is an expert in health policy and active in global health.

Oct. 23    Dollars and Sense for Primary Care
12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Sanger Hall 3-016, 1101 E. Marshall St.
Speaker: Glenda Palmer, Ph.D., assistant dean for Student Affairs and director of Financial Aid at the VCU School of Medicine

The event is sponsored by the American Medical Students Association, the Student Family Medicine Association, Physicians for Human Rights and the Geriatric Student Interest Group.

For more information and a complete schedule of events, contact Judy S. Gary in the VCU Department of Family Medicine at jsgary@vcu.edu.