The Center for the History of Family Medicine (CHFM) is sponsoring its annual essay contest for medical students and residents. Possibilities are wide open – the scholarly essays must simply cover a topic relevant to family medicine history in the United States. That could be anything from a day-in-the-life of a family doctor to a medical-political controversy within family medicine.

The contest goal is two-fold: to encourage the next generation of family physicians to engage with the specialty’s history and then use the lessons learned to improve future health care.

In addition to gaining knowledge as they research and write the essays, medical students and residents have additional incentives for participating: The author of the winning essay will receive $1,000, and the second-place winner will receive a $500 award. Winning essays will be included in the CHFM archive and published on the AAFP Foundation website.

Essays may be submitted online through Nov. 1, 2023. For more information, please visit the CHFM website. Contact Veronica Roberts at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions.