Letters to the CAFP

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to Art Schuman, the Board of Directors, and all members of the CAFP for bestowing upon me the prestigious Dr. David and Arthur Schuman Award of Excellence. While medicine today is universally criticized by the public for being cold, highly technical and lacking the sensitive touch of a physician, it gives me great pleasure to have received this award from an organization that stands as a model for the future of compassionate health care. At a time when the number of students training in family medicine is declining, and at a school where family medicine is disregarded, you have always been a constant area of support and encouragement. Art recently stated in a letter to me, "Hopefully the day will come when you will look at what Yale is doing in family medicine and will be able to say, "I was there when it started." While this is true and while our FMIG may have been the initial spark to start the fire, the constant support and encouragement of Art and the Academy have been the kindling and bellows to keep our fire ignited and burning.

I have just finished reading Dr. David Schuman's memos, which were included in the award by Art. Thank you for that addition to the award. I only hope that I can be appreciated and loved by my patients as much as he was. My plaque is currently hanging above my Yale diploma over my desk at the residency program. When asked about the significance, I tell people I have hung them this way in order to represent from whom I have learned more about the true practice of medicine. It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction to say that I received this award from and was a part of one of the most progressive and supportive state academies in the nation. I can only hope my current and future affiliations with state academies of family practice around the nation will be half as fulfilling.

I wish you all the best in your practices and family life. I'm sure our paths will cross again in the near future, and if I may ever be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact me. Once again, thank you.

Sincerely,
Corey Martin

I just wanted to write to tell the Academy about the wonderful experience I had shadowing Dr. Drew Edwards this past week. It was both enjoyable and instructive to watch his interviews and exams and then discuss his decisions with him as well as get a sense of his history with each of his patients. By the end of the week, I was able to interview patients and present them to him (with a lot of coaching), which was fun.

The combination of following Dr. Edwards and experiencing the family medicine national conference in Kansas City has really helped me to see how broad family medicine can be and has made me really excited about my prospects in the field. It was so invigorating to be at the conference and think about where I might do residency or a rotation abroad. I want to thank both Dr. Edwards and the Connecticut Academy for making these experiences possible and for giving me the opportunity to learn as much as I can about family medicine-something difficult to do at medical school alone. I am hoping that our continued collaboration this year will allow the rest of my class and the incoming first years to catch the enthusiasm that I, and the doctors and residents in the field whom I have talked to, share for family medicine.

Thank you again and please put in a special thank you to Dr. Edwards for me.

Ariel Frey
Yale Medical School Student

I had an absolutely wonderful time at Windsor Family Medicine. It was so nice to have a "real life" experience and to learn more about family medicine. About 2 weeks ago, I thought that I would definitely become a pediatrician; now, I am leaning toward family medicine. I really think that patients are able to receive better care at WFM because of their long-term relationships with their docs, and because the doctors care about the whole patient-not just their illness. It was very reassuring to work with doctors who have their patients' best interests at heart.

Thanks Again,
Cristina Baseggio

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ms. Baseggio is a student at the Yale Medical School. See her article in this issue.