Family Medicine, an official journal of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, aims to publish high-quality, original scholarship about education in family medicine and primary care. The journal publishes original research, systematic reviews, narrative essays, and policy analyses relevant to the discipline of family medicine, particularly focusing on primary care medical education, health workforce policy, and health services research. The journal does not publish clinical review articles.

Family Medicine is relied on by more than 5,000 family physicians, psychologists, sociologists, and public health specialists for the latest research and commentary on medical education.

Family Medicine is indexed in Medline, PubMed, MEDLINE, EBSCO, EMBASE, Health and Psychosocial Instruments, Current Contents®/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index, and select articles from the Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouse on Higher Education. The journal has participated in the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central (PMC) archive as a full-participation journal since 2023, and is also archived in the Library of Congress Digital Collection.

ISSN (Online): 1938-3800
ISSN (Print): 0742-3225

2023 JCR Impact Factor: 1.8

 

Editorial Team

  • Sarina Schrager, MD, MS

    Editor in Chief

    Sarina Schrager, MD, MS, is a professor in the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (UW DFMCH). She also serves as UW DFMCH’s director of promotions and mentoring and as Wisconsin Research and Education Network’s medical director. Prior to becoming the editor in chief of Family Medicine, she served in the same capacity at Wisconsin Medical Journal, as an editor for FPM, and on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Her research expertise is in residency education and faculty development, and her recent work has focused on shared decision-making in cancer screening. She obtained her MD at the University of Illinois, Chicago, her residency training as well as a primary care women’s health fellowship at MacNeal Hospital, and a faculty development fellowship at UW DFMCH.

  • José E. Rodríguez, MD

    Deputy Editor

    José E. Rodríguez, MD, is the associate vice president of the University of Utah Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. He is also a professor in the University of Utah Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and an associate medical director at the Redwood Health Center. Dr Rodriguez currently serves as president of the Family Physicians Inquiries Network (FPIN), and is an associate editor for the Annals of Family Medicine. His research focusses on evidence-based medicine, faculty development, underrepresented in medicine issues, and health equity. He received his MD from Weill Cornell Medicine and completed his residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Hospital.

  • Octavia Amaechi, MD

    DEIA Editor

    Octavia Amaechi, MD, serves as the chief of staff, a hospitalist, and Health Equity Committee chair at the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and as a faculty physician in the Spartanburg Regional Family Medicine Residency (SRFMR) program. She holds positions as a mentor in STFM’s Leadership Through Scholarship Program, a board member of the Spartanburg County Medical Society, an annual delegate and reference committee chair of the South Carolina Medical Association, and member of the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness. Her expertise is in diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, patient and community advocacy, inpatient/hospital medicine, and MAT for Opioid Use Disorder. She completed her MD at the University of Health Sciences Antigua, her residency training at SRFMR, and a hospital medicine fellowship at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.

  • William Cayley, Jr, MD, MDiv

    Editor, Book and Media Reviews

    William Cayley, Jr, MD, is an adjunct clinical professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health as well as a faculty member at Prevea Family Medicine Residency at Augusta and Eau Claire. His expertise is in evidence-based medicine, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and writing. He serves on the Cochrane Heart Group editorial team and the DynaMed editorial board. He completed his MD at the Medical College of Wisconsin and his family medicine residency training at the Prevea Family Medicine Residency at Eau Claire.

  • LaKesha Anderson, PhD

    Associate Editor

    LaKesha N. Anderson, PhD, is assistant professor of medicine and health professions education in the Center for Health Professions Education at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She also serves as a lecturer in Johns Hopkins University’s Communication MA Program. A communication scientist, her work explores the intersections of communication, medicine, and education. Her research has examined topics including social support, miscommunication, credibility, trust, and information-seeking and her primary areas of interest include maternal and women’s health, medical education, and professional development. Dr Anderson earned a PhD in Health and Strategic Communication from George Mason University. She is also a certified doula, working to provide birthing people with holistic care that includes physical, emotional, and educational support both pre- and post-birth.

  • Yohualli Anaya, MD

    Associate Editor

    Yohualli Anaya, MD, is an associate visiting professor in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She also serves as faculty expert at the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (UCLA LPPI) and codirector of the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture Accelerating Latinx Leadership Institute. Her expertise is in educating preclinical and clinical learners in providing care to minoritized populations. Her research has been funded by UCLA LPPI and the California Health Care Foundation. Currently her work focuses on barriers to health and equity in health care delivery, physician workforce diversity, and the application of research to promote health equity policies. She completed her MD at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and her residency training at the UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program.

  • D. Jason Frasca, DO

    Associate Editor

    Jason Frasca, DO, is an assistant clinical professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he also serves as the associate program director of the family medicine residency program. His expertise is in behavioral health, physician wellness, meditation- and mindfulness-based intervention, mindset/bias, teaching patient rapport and professionalism, and medical narratives. He completed his DO at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, his residency training at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, and his medical editing fellowship at Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

  • Valerie Gilchrist, MD

    Associate Editor

    Valerie Gilchrist, MD, received her MD from the University of Toronto. She attended a faculty development fellowship at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and the Hedwig Van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program. She is board certified in family medicine and has served as chair of family medicine at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, and University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She is co-editor of four books, one monograph, numerous book chapters, peer-reviewed publications, and grant awards. She served as a National Board of Medical Examiners reviewer, on an AHRQ study section, and a member of several editorial boards. She is a past president of the Association of Departments of Family Medicine and served on the boards of the North American Primary Care Research Group, the Society of Teachers in Family Medicine, and the Council of Academic Societies of the American Association of Medical Colleges. 

  • Lisa Harris, DO

    Associate Editor

    Lisa Harris, DO, is an associate professor of family medicine and the assistant dean for Pathways and Recruitment at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU).  She is faculty physician at the National Capital Consortium Family Medicine Residency at AT Augusta Military Medical Center in Fort Belvoir, VA and recently served as USU Addressing Racism and Bias Task Force Chair.  Dr Harris is also a member of STFM’s inaugural Academic Family Medicine Antiracism Learning Collaborative and Medical Student Education Committee. Her expertise is in health equity, bedside teaching, curriculum development, learners in difficulty, and individual learning plans.  She earned her DO at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed family medicine residency at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Liberty, NC, and completed the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Faculty Development fellowship.

  • Jennifer Lochner, MD

    Associate Editor

    Jennifer Lochner, MD, is an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She is the clinical service chief for UW–Madison’s family medicine residency teaching clinics as well as a knowledge assessment consultant for the American Board of Family Medicine. Her expertise is in physician compensation, physician electronic health record workload, clinician burnout, and clinical operations. She obtained her MD at the UW–Madison and completed her residency training at Oregon Health & Science University.

  • Daniel Parente, MD, PhD

    Associate Editor

    Daniel Parente, MD, PhD, serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). He also holds the position of research director for the KUMC Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr Parente is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). He is also recognized by ABFM with a Designation of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine. Dr Parente has an avid interest in engaging resident physicians and medical students in the primary care research process and is passionate about teaching them about critical assessment of scientific literature. His research explores the use of advanced technologies—such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)—in conjunction with multivariable methods, to enhance the quality of primary care and further medical education. 

  • Meaghan Ruddy, PhD

    Associate Editor

    Meaghan Ruddy, PhD, is the chief research and development officer and senior vice president of academic affairs, enterprise assessment, and advancement at The Wright Centers for Graduate Medical Education and Community Health. She is also an adjunct clinical faculty member at the A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona and holds board positions on the National Association of Community Health Centers Committee on Health Center Excellence and Training, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Peer Advisory Team, HRSA Community-based Training Peer Team, among others. Her expertise is in clinical ethics and bioethics, transformative learning theory, qualitative research, human development, and health center programming. Her current work focuses on teaching health center community benefit and developing trauma-informed organizations. She obtained her PhD at Marywood University.

  • Sara Shields, MD

    Associate Editor

    Sara Shields, MD, is a professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Chan Medical School, the director of inpatient perinatal services at UMass Memorial Hospital, and a family physician at the Family Health Center of Worcester. Her expertise is in maternal and child health and women’s health, with special focus on normal labor, breastfeeding, and group prenatal care, as well as the humanities, including visual arts and reflective writing. She is the chair of the Worcester Healthy Baby Collaborative, a coalition of local community groups and health providers working to reduce infant mortality receiving grants from the March of Dimes, local agencies, and the National Network of Libraries in Medicine. She completed her MD at the University of California–San Francisco, her family medicine residency at the Highland Hospital–University of Rochester Medical Center, and a fellowship in maternal and child health at Brown University.

Editorial Board

Sommer Aldulaimi, MD, University of Arizona
Kendall Campbell, MD, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
Annie Derthick, PhD, Central Maine Medical Center FMR, Lewiston, ME
Edgar Figueroa, MD, MPH,Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University
Krys Foster, MD, MPH, Thomas Jefferson University
Josh Freeman, MD, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Joseph Gravel, Jr, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin
Joel Heidelbaugh, MD, University of Michigan
Joyce Hollander-Rodriguez, MD, Oregon Health & Science University
Mark Huntington, MD, PhD, Center for Family Medicine FMR, Sioux Falls, SD
Christy J.W. Ledford, PhD, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA
Fareedat Oluyadi, MD, University of North Carolina
Jeanette South-Paul, MD, University of Pittsburgh
Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH, Contra Costa FMR, Martinez, CA
Stephen Wilson, MD, MPH, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Richard Young, MD, John Peter Smith FMR, Fort Worth, TX

Previous Editors-in-Chief

Lynn Carmichael, MD
John Frey, MD
Barry Weiss, MD
John Saultz, MD

Policies

Peer Review Process

Submissions are initially reviewed for compliance to manuscript preparation guidelines. Compliant manuscripts are then assessed by the editor in chief, who makes an initial editorial decision. Some manuscripts are immediately rejected or given feedback directly from the editor. Most submissions are assigned by the editor in chief to one of the associate editors, who then assigns and coordinates peer review. A minimum of two peer reviewers are assigned to each compliant submission, and author revisions are typically needed as a result of reviewer comments. Family Medicine uses a single-blind peer review process for all submissions (authors do not know the identity of reviewers, but reviewers do know the identity of authors). When reviewer feedback has been addressed to the satisfaction of the associate editor, the associate editor makes a recommendation to the editor in chief, who makes the final determination regarding publication. Some final revisions may be requested at the time of acceptance by the editor in chief.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Family Medicine encourages authors to appropriately use technology throughout the research process. Software that uses generative artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) may be used. Family Medicine, however, only allows humans to be listed as authors of original articles. Software programs (eg, ChatGPT) cannot be listed as authors. Human authors must take public responsibility for the scientific integrity and originality of their work. Authors are also responsible for ensuring that their articles are free from plagiarism and bias.

Disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning software is required by Family Medicine in certain circumstances:

  • When generative artificial intelligence is used to aid in drafting parts of a manuscript (eg, to generate text, to create tables, to create figures, etc), this must be disclosed in the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript (eg, “The authors used ChatGPT to create Table 1.”)
  • When generative artificial intelligence (eg, ChatGPT) is used as part of the analytical methods for an article, authors should clearly state this within the Methods section and explain steps taken to ensure the validity of those analyses. For example, if ChatGPT was used to transform unstructured data into a more structured format, the authors should describe this process (prompts, preprocessing, postprocessing, validation, etc) as they would any other analytical or statistical procedure.
  • When artificial intelligence is used incidentally in other aspects of the research process, authors do not need to disclose this fact, unless such use is relevant to the meaning or interpretation of an article. For example, informal use of AI to aid in conducting a literature search for a simple survey project would not require disclosure, but formal use of AI tools to determine which articles to include in a systemic review would require disclosure.

Human Subject Recruitment and Informed Consent

Family Medicine submissions for any study involving human subjects must describe the following:

  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) interactions
  • Consent processes
  • Participation incentives
  • Recruitment procedures, description of outreach, etc.

Study subjects’ identifying information should never be included in manuscript text or accompanying materials (eg, figures, tables, appendices) unless it is essential for the purpose of the study and the subjects have given written informed consent for publication. In any case where subjects’ identifying information is included in a submission, the corresponding author may be asked to provide documentation of informed consent.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers 

Family Medicine editors and reviewers must not disclose or discuss unpublished materials in a submitted manuscript with anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, or members of the Family Medicine editorial team. Family Medicine reviewers are expected to declare their conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from the peer review process if a conflict exists for a manuscript they have been invited to review. Reviewers and associate editors are expected and encouraged to notify the editor in chief of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, and ethical concerns such as conflicts of interest among authors. Details regarding reviewer expectations and duties are outlined on this page: https://journals.stfm.org/familymedicine/reviewers/

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

If a substantive error is identified in a published article, the editor in chief and associate editors will decide whether to publish a formal correction, retraction, or expression of concern statement, or initiate a published discussion via letters to the editor. Substantive errors are confirmed errors that significantly affect the integrity of the publication or the interpretation of its results (eg, falsified, fabricated, or omitted data; plagiarism; undisclosed conflicts of interest). In such rare cases, a new document will be published in Family Medicine describing the nature of the error, and will provide a link back to the published article containing the error. A prominent corresponding link to the error statement will be added to the article containing the error. In the rare event of a retraction, a prominent mark and statement will be added to the the published article identifying it as retracted, in addition to the link to the editorial retraction statement. For errors that are disputed or pending further investigation, the Family Medicine editors reserve the right to determine whether they will be handled by a series of letters to the editor and subsequent author replies, or by the publication of an expression of concern letter, linked to the article in question in the same manner as corrections/retractions.

Copyright and Permissions 

Prior to publication, all authors are required to sign a copyright release form, transferring copyright to the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM).

Unless otherwise noted, all Family Medicine content is copyrighted by STFM and may not be reproduced without the written permission of STFM. If you would like to reproduce, reprint, or adapt material from Family Medicine for purposes other than nonprofit educational purposes, you must seek permission from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. A permission fee is charged when material is to be used in another form of publication (eg, newsletter, textbook, manual, journal/magazine). The fee will be determined once the request has been reviewed. 

Advertising Guidelines

Family Medicine does accept advertisements for its journal, Family Medicine, according to Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) advertising principles.

These advertising principles are applied by STFM to ensure adherence to the highest ethical standards of advertising and to determine the eligibility of products and services for advertising in the STFM digital publications. Advertising revenue is used to support the activities of STFM.

As a matter of policy, the STFM will sell advertising space in its publications when the inclusion of advertising does not interfere with the mission or objectives of STFM or its publications. To maintain the integrity of STFM publications, advertising (ie, promotional material, advertising representatives, companies, or manufacturers) cannot influence editorial decisions or editorial content. Decisions to sell advertising space are made independently of and without information pertinent to specific editorial content. STFM publications’ advertising sales representatives have no prior knowledge of specific editorial content before it is published. Placement of advertising adjacent to (ie, next to or within) editorial content on the same topic is prohibited. Complete policy details, including a list of advertising types that are and are not acceptable, can be found here (pdf).

Diversity Statement

Family Medicine is committed to advancing efforts toward inclusion and antiracism in all journal-related activities. We endeavor to take the following actions to eliminate bias and racism in our editorial processes: 

  • Authors: We encourage authorship from people of diverse backgrounds, particularly authors from minoritized groups (ie, underrepresented minority - URM) and historically excluded groups. Authors are encouraged to acknowledge and address systemic and structural problems identified in their work to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism (DEIA) efforts.   
  • Content: We encourage submission of manuscripts with person or population centered DEIA content. We encourage submission of work that moves beyond DEIA education and documentation of disparities to improving equity in health, education, physician advancement, and other areas. 
  • Process: Submissions with DEIA content may be selected for further review by the DEIA associate editor whose focus is to promote inclusion and antiracism in the editorial process. We endeavor to increase peer reviewers with expertise in DEIA content.  
  • Reflection: The editorial team will engage in discussions of historical and emerging social justice issues to ensure journal content reflects the evolving needs and experiences of physicians, learners and patients. We endeavor to increase individual understanding, self-reflection, and commitment to change practices that contribute to bias and racism. 
  • Collaboration: Our editorial team will work alongside other peer reviewed journals in an effort to intentionally critique and update our practices to advance inclusive and antiracist policies.   
  • Language: We will regularly review and update guidance for authors and editors on the use of inclusive and culturally sensitive language in medical and science journals. We encourage authors to avoid labeling or stereotyping groups or populations based on opinions or bias. 

Permissions Requests

Academic Use

Family Medicine has partnered with the Copyright Clearance Center to provide a web-based permission service.  If you would like to reuse material from Family Medicine for nonprofit educational classroom use, visit the Copyright Clearance Center and enter "Family Medicine" when asked for publication title to obtain permission to reuse copyrighted materials. 

Other Uses

If you would like to reproduce, reprint, or adapt material from Family Medicine for other purposes (apart from photocopying patient information handouts for nonprofit educational purposes), you must seek permission from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. Email your permission request to fmjournal@stfm.org.

Required on All Permission Requests

About the material you would like to use:

  • Title of article/piece you want to use
  • Name of author of material
  • Name of publication
  • Identify content (for example, do you want to use the entire article, only a table/figure, an illustration); provide a sample if possible

About your proposed use:

  • Title of your publication, program, or product
  • Name of publisher or sponsor
  • Type/format of publication in which the content will appear (eg, newsletter, book, periodical, CD-ROM, website, ebook)
  • Estimated number of copies to be printed or produced
  • Whether the copies will be sold or free

Permission Fees

A permission fee is charged when material is to be used in another form of a publication (eg, newsletter, textbook, manual, journal/magazine). The fee depends on the amount of content being reprinted and will be determined once request has been reviewed. Payment should be made in US currency and must be received before permission is granted.

Contact Us

Editorial and Publishing Office

Family Medicine 
11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway
Suite 240
Leawood, KS, 66211
Phone: 800-274-7928 or 913-906-6000

Editorial Team Fax: 913-800-5675
Editorial Team Email: fmeditor@stfm.org

Publishing Team Fax: 913-906-6096
Publishing Team Email: fmjournal@stfm.org

Managing Publisher: Traci Brazelton, CAE, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Publications Manager: Sam Grammer, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Editorial Assistant: Kathie-Jo Arnoff, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine

 

Subscribe

Family Medicine is published on a monthly basis; combined issues are published in July-August and November-December. Family Medicine is sent electronically to all current STFM members at no additional charge and nonmembers can subscribe free by registering here.

Order Print Copies of Back Issues

Print copies of back issues from 2021 through 2022 (Volumes 53 and 54) may be available for purchase at a cost of $25 each. To purchase a single issue of the journal from those years, email Sam Grammer. 

Questions?
Contact Sam Grammer at 913-800-5649, fax: 913-906-6096, fmjournal@stfm.org.

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