Our Background
Established in 1982, The Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians-Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians, a statewide association with over 3,000 family physicians. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the WAFP-Foundation is governed by a nine-member board of directors.
Our Mission
The mission of the Wisconsin Academy of Family PhysiciansFoundation is to enhance the quality of family health care in Wisconsin through funding of appropriate education, research and philanthropic projects of the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians by providing significant support and stewardship of funds.
The Foundation's Areas Of Focus Are:
Funding Sources
Students to National Conference
This program is designed to fund medical students who are interested in Family Medicine. These students attend AAFP National Conference for Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students during the summer, giving them the opportunity to come together with family medicine leaders, educators and recruiters. In 2019, seventy-one Wisconsin students and residents attended National Conference, of those seventy-one, fifty students were funded by WAFP – Foundation and seven students were funded by AAFP – Foundation.
Stethoscopes for Residents
This initiative's goal is to give away at least one stethoscope to a resident at each of Wisconsin’s 16 Family Medicine Residency Programs during an annual visit to the Program. These visits have included a presentation by WAFP leaders on a topic of the Program's choosing that includes a brief discussion about the benefits of membership as both a resident and an active practicing physician.
Summer Externship
Each year the Foundation funds a minimum of two students, between their first and second year of medical school, to participate in a unique externship experience. The students will work in multiple settings – rotating between the WAFP/Foundation offices and a clinical setting with a family physician preceptor. Through these settings, students will gain experience in a clinical environment, in leadership development, workforce development, advocacy and philanthropic activities. After evaluating the program, it will be discontinued in 2019.
David C. Eitrheim, MD Rural Resident Memorial Scholarship
Each year a first-year resident enrolled in a Wisconsin residency program who demonstrates an interest and commitment to rural family medicine will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship. The purpose of the award is to help offset expenses incurred with rural rotations and to fund attendance at the AAFP Annual Meeting, as well as help secure the future of Family Medicine in Wisconsin by encouraging residents to remain in the state to practice in rural areas. In 2019, one $10,000 scholarship was awarded. This scholarship began in 2015 and will be discounted in 2020 because funds were exhausted.
Champion of Family Medicine Legacy Council
This charitable initiative has been created to provide WAFP members an opportunity to establish a personal legacy and make a lasting impact on Family Medicine in Wisconsin. Champions of Family Medicine Legacy Council was developed for an engaged community of donors who have stepped up to take a leadership role. Now members can help ensure that a program meaningful to them, along with the mission of the Foundation, continues for years to come by including the WAFP-Foundation in their estate planning.
Future of Family Medicine Endowment Fund
The Foundation's endowment fund is to grow and be used to provide ongoing support for its initiatives in the future. Since an endowment is a gift in perpetuity, it is designed to be large enough to allow the interest gained on investments to be used for expenditures of special projects while the principal remains untouched (and growing) as additional gifts are received. 100% of endowment donations go directly to the fund - only investment income is used annually for projects supported by the Academy on an as needed basis. Since established in 2003, the Endowment fund is worth $415,000, with an investment return of $83,020.81 in 2019.
2019 Highlights
The Foundation is encouraging residents interested in rural family medicine to stay in WI to practice. The David C. Eitrheim, MD Memorial Scholarship was established to do this and in 2019, Samantha Olesiak, MD was the recipient of this prestigious award. Dr. Olesiak also serves on the board and is currently practicing in rural WI. This was the 5th $10,000 scholarship distributed.
The WAFP-Foundation continued its focus on workforce development and Wisconsin's need for additional family physicians. In its eighth year, the "Students to National Conference" campaign, over 77% have selected Family Medicine as their specialty.
In 2020, we successfully sent fifty students to the AAFP’s National Conference for Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students and raising $27,808.26.
