Family Medicine

Family Medicine Interest Group

2005 - 2014 Program of Excellence Award American Academy of Family Physicians

Mission Statement

The mission of the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) is to inform medical students about the unique philosophy of Family Medicine through education and mentorship. FMIG understands the role of family physicians in the improvement of health in this country and seeks to encourage medical students to be future leaders in their practices, and to understand the problems facing health care today.

Faculty Advisor: Dan Lee, MD
Staff Advisor: Miriam Sims

History of Family Medicine at UCLA

The UCLA Department of Family Medicine started as a division of the Department of Medicine in 1974, achieving departmental status in 1997. Patrick Dowling, MD, MPH, became the first permanent chair in 1998. He is a former migrant health center physician who had previously directed Family Medicine residency programs at Cook County Hospital, Brown University, and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. His focus as Chair has been on caring for medically underserved populations, including opening up a residency training site in a Latino neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

The Department maintains active clinical services, with residency clinic sites in the San Fernando Valley and in Santa Monica. It also has a Division of Primary Care Sports Medicine with a 2-year fellowship and a Division of Addiction Medicine with a 1 year fellowship. We have an active research division, including Dr. Lillian Gelberg, a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) and an internationally-known researcher in the area of access to care for the homeless. Drs. Ann Marie Hernandez, Frederick Ferguson, and Geoff Gussof are researchers in community health with an emphasis on the medically underserved. Besides the residency program, our department is active in medical education at all levels. Family Medicine faculty members are Educators for Excellence teaching foundations of doctoring to first year medical students (Drs. Wong and Miller), the 3rd year Longitudinal Clinical Experience (LCE) Preceptorship, and Discovery Experience mentors. Our department also houses and staffs the student-Run Homeless Clinic (SRHC), in which 100 students from all years receive academic credit for seeing patients and running the clinic, in additional to volunteering many hours. The Family Medicine Department is the leader in this effort, particularly impressive in view of our relatively small numbers of faculty.

Our Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) has been in existence since the beginning of our department. Moving from informal meetings at the Pre-doctoral Director's home where students could meet practicing Family Medicine physicians, we now have a full schedule of meetings and activities with the largest number of students participating than ever before. Gradually students have taken over more and more of the administrative and organizational functions of the group, and in the past year, the number of students wanting to get involved at the officer level has also increased.

Goals

  1. To increase awareness and interest for Family Medicine amongst medical students
  2. To demonstrate the vast array of options within the specialty of Family Medicine
  3. To provide support and mentorship for students interested in applying to Family Medicine residencies
  4. To expand our knowledge about the practice of Family Medicine
  5. To provide networking opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in Family Medicine
  6. To advocate for the value of primary care in a rationale healthcare system
  7. To be an avenue for student service of the medically-underserved

 

Key Historical Timeline and Highlights

1974–1997 — Formation and Early Development

  • The UCLA Family Medicine program operated for nearly 25 years as a division within the Department of Medicine, laying the academic and clinical foundation for community-focused primary care.

1983–1998 — Leadership of Dr. James C. Puffer Division Chief of Family Medicine 

  • Served as Chief of the Division of Family Medicine and helped guide the transition to departmental status in 1997, laying the structural foundation for the modern UCLA Department of Family Medicine. Regarded as the founder of Primary Care Sports Medicine. 

1986 — Launch of the UCLA Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship

  • Founded by Dr. James C. Puffer, the program became one of the nation’s early primary care sports medicine fellowships and achieved early ACGME accreditation in 1996, helping establish UCLA as a national leader in sports medicine education.

1997 — Establishment as an Independent Department

  • UCLA formally recognized Family Medicine as an independent academic department, reflecting the expanding scope of primary care education, research, and service to diverse Los Angeles communities.

1998 – 2022 — Founding Chair Leadership Begins Dr. Patrick J.K. Dowling, MD, MPH

  • The first permanent Chair (1998–2022) established a mission centered on health equity and underserved populations. Strong partnerships with Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Expansion of residency training and community clinical sites

1999 — Community Training Expansion with LA County

  • The residency program expanded to include an off-campus teaching site within LA County Department of Health Services, strengthening community-based training and safety-net clinical exposure.

2001 — Led by Dr. Mary Marfisee Student-Run Homeless Clinics Expand with Family Medicine Leadership

2003 — Dr. Lillian Gelberg elected to the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine)

  • Recognition of pioneering health services research focused on homelessness, health disparities, and vulnerable populations.

2017 — Launch of the UCLA Family Medicine Addiction Medicine Fellowship

  • The department established its Addiction Medicine Fellowship, receiving accreditation in 2017 and graduating its first fellow in 2018, followed by ACGME accreditation effective July 2018 — expanding UCLA’s leadership in integrated primary care and substance use disorder treatment.

2023 — Chair Dr. Gerardo Moreno, MD, MSHS was appointed Chair (2022–Present)

  • Community medicine and workforce diversity. Expansion of addiction medicine fellowship from 1 fellow to 5 and community-engaged research. Strengthened primary care pathways and leadership programs (e.g., PRIME-LA)

2023 — Dr. Gerardo Moreno elected to the National Academy of Medicine Recognition

  • Dr. Gerardo Moreno was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, marking a major milestone in the department’s national leadership in health equity, primary care workforce, and community-partnered research. Serves on the ABFM (2018 – 2025) and Board Chair (2023 – 2024)

2024 — Sherman Mellinkoff Faculty Award

  • Dr. Gerardo Moreno became the first UCLA Family Medicine faculty member to receive the Sherman Mellinkoff Faculty Award, the highest faculty honor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

2026 — Present - Clinical expansion and footprint within UCLA Health