More than 100 physicians from across Michigan gathered in Kalamazoo in mid-July for the 2018 Michigan Family Medicine Conference & Expo.
The event, which was held from July 12-15, 2018, is the annual scientific conference for the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and it offered an opportunity for leaders at the medical school to showcase WMed, the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus and the Family Medicine residency program to doctors from across the state.
鈥淭he story of our building is pretty neat,鈥 said Dr. Glenn Dregansky, program director for the the medical school鈥檚 Family Medicine residency in Kalamazoo who also serves on the MAFP Board of Directors and was part of the organizing committee for this year鈥檚 conference. 鈥淚t鈥檚 downtown and a major force in changing downtown Kalamazoo for the better. We wanted to share that with people from around the state.
鈥淚t was pretty cool.鈥
This year鈥檚 conference was significant for the MAFP and its members as the organization is celebrating its 70th anniversary.听
Several WMed faculty members gave presentations at the conference, including Dr. Dregansky, Dr. Lisa Graves, interim chair of the medical school鈥檚 Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean for Faculty Affairs; Dr. Tyler Gibb, co-chief for the Program in Medical Ethics, Humanities and Law, and Dr. Peter Ziemkowski, associate dean for Student Affairs.
鈥淚 want us to be on people鈥檚 radar,鈥 Dr. Graves said. 鈥淭he conference gave us an opportunity to showcase the school, our department and residency programs, and the things we have to offer.鈥
Dr. Dregansky said about 20 continuing medical education credits were available to conference attendees. The majority of the offerings at the conference were held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites in downtown Kalamazoo. However, on Saturday, July 14, about 40 physicians attended a breakfast and lectures at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus.
Dr. Dregansky said the group got an opportunity to tour the first and second floors of the campus, as well as the medical school鈥檚 24,000 square-foot Simulation Center that is housed on the ground floor of the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus.
鈥淎 lot of people were impressed with the architecture of the building and very impressed with the Simulation Center,鈥 Dr. Dregansky said. 鈥淲ith that many family physicians in town, showcasing our campus, the medical school and our residency programs was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.
鈥淲e just kind of seized the moment.鈥
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