The Department of Family and Community Medicine is celebrating its 50th Anniversary at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine!
We are a diverse and mission-driven department with over 140 employees who seek to improve the health of the people and communities of New Mexico through education, research, and clinical service.
Our Family Medicine Residency Program is the 5th largest in the country and the majority of our graduates remain in New Mexico to serve our communities. We have fellowships in Maternal Child Health, Sports Medicine, Addiction Medicine, and Geriatrics.
Our faculty are an important presence in the medical school; teaching about the social determinants of health, culturally effective care, the complexity of ambulatory care, and public health, while at the same time inspiring many students to pursue Family Medicine as their field of choice. We host a required clerkship which ensures that all of our graduating medical students understand the importance of primary care and community health.
The success of our Physician Assistant Program in training providers who stay in the state to deliver care to our underserved communities has been noted by the state and is receiving state legislative support and federal funding to grow.
Our nationally ranked research program focuses on reducing health disparities and improving health services, particularly through practice-based and community-engaged research. Our researchers work with communities around the state to identify health needs and priorities’ and to develop strategies to address them.
We provide clinical service throughout the continuum of life from pregnancy and birth to geriatrics and palliative care. In addition, we have a number of innovative programs that provide care in multigenerational, family-based care models to underserved patients in our state including adults with special needs, pregnant women with substance use disorder, youth with history of incarceration, children in high-risk families, and people experiencing homelessness.
Through team-based primary care, our community-based clinics provide educational laboratories in innovative care delivery models that empower our patients to lead healthy lifestyles while also addressing their upstream social determinants of health.
As Interim Chair, I am proud to serve as the first woman of color and the first native New Mexican in this role. I was born and raised in Gallup, New Mexico and I am eager to serve my state and my community through service in our Department. The prior leadership has set the stage for continued excellence and I will continue to lead toward health equity and justice for all New Mexicans.
Felisha Rohan-Minjares, MD
Professor & Interim Chair
Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of the populations of New Mexico and beyond by centering diversity and equity, providing excellent patient-centered care and advancing community-engaged, inclusive, and responsive education and research.
We envision a future where every individual and community have access to high-quality, comprehensive health care which in turn promotes a healthier, more just society. Our vision as the Department of Family and Community Medicine is to be a joyful, inclusive, and effective department where people have the knowledge, resources and tools to effectively move toward health equity with and for all New Mexicans.