July 29, 2020

As a physician, it can be challenging to know how to motivate patients to exercise. Motivation is particularly difficult for patients who are older, overweight, out of shape or suffering from chronic pain.

In the fall of 2019, Dr. Erin McAdams and Dr. Zachary Fredman worked with other medical professionals to plan a two-day medical conference. They had assessed the educational needs of their audience, researched evidence-based information, and prepared informative and topical presentations. What made this medical conference very different from most, however, was that it took two days and over 10,000 miles to get there — because this conference was held in a small southern African country called Eswatini.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is a member-driven organization and does amazing work on our behalf. AAFP Commissions are one of the organization’s most effective structures used to ensure member input is considered on critical topics. Commissions are nationally representative bodies of members and Chapter Executives that give feedback to the AAFP on all sorts of areas. They assist with the development of programming, assist with policy adaptation, help ensure the Academy appropriately acts on Resolutions, and help decide if specific programs should be discontinued. Members apply and are chosen to participate for a four-year term. During their term, members travel to Kansas City, Missouri, for two in-person sessions each year and have web-based documents to review and edit, comment on, and vote to approve throughout the year. The in-person sessions provide added learning and current topics, opportunities to network with members from across the U.S., and “breaking” policy updates from AAFP Leadership.

UAFP Executive Director, Maryann Martindale and Program Director, Barbara Muñoz had the wonderful opportunity to take a quick trip to Ivins, Utah, in late January to meet with faculty and students at Rocky Vista University (RVU) — Southern Utah.

When I moved to Utah almost six years ago from the San Francisco Bay Area, many people were talking about “Medicaid Expansion.” It’s embarrassing to admit now, but I was not familiar with expansion. I was lucky enough to have insurance. California had long ago expanded its Medicaid program. What was everyone talking about?

Our Legislative and Advocacy Committee was hard at work again during this year’s legislative session. We reviewed hundreds of bills, analyzed their impact on family physicians, testified during committees, lobbied legislators, all to promote favorable legislation for the practice of family medicine.

To start, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background — where you grew up, went to school, your family, interests, hobbies, etc.
I grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, with my older brother, my parents and several dogs. As a family, we spent a lot of time outside playing various sports. Weekends were split between my brother’s baseball games and my soccer games. As I’ve grown older, skiing, hiking, and camping have taken the place of organized sports for the most part, although I play on intramural teams when possible. I spend most of my free time pursuing outdoor activities and catching up with friends and family.

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. As shown in the show Portlandia, “the dream of the 90s” was absolutely alive during my childhood. It was an eclectic community with a strong sense of local culture, and I spent much of my childhood outdoors learning how to care for the environment and other people.

Dr. Theadora “Thea” Sakata possesses many great qualities: brains, wit, athletic prowess, compassion, and humility. This last one becomes evident when talking about her college and postgraduate education. She attended Harvard for her undergrad, Cambridge for her master’s degree, and Northwestern for medical school. But when asked what she thinks set her apart to gain admittance into some of the most prestigious universities in the world, “Honestly, I think it’s dumb luck,” is her reply. However, just a few minutes of conversation with her demonstrates that “dumb luck” has nothing to do with it.