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 healthcare.

In addition to gaining knowledge as they research and write their essays, medical students and residents have additional incentives for participating. The author of the winning essay will receive $2,000 and the second-place winner will receive $1,000. Winning essays will be included in the CHFM archive and published on the AAFP Foundation website.

To be eligible, medical students and residents must be a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Residents must also be enrolled in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited family medicine residency training program.

Essays may be submitted online through Friday, November 1. For more information, please visit the CHFM website or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..