Foundation Programs

It is the mission of the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians Foundation to enhance the health care delivered to the people of Indiana by developing and providing research, education and charitable resources for the promotion and support of the specialty of Family Medicine in Indiana.

Family Practice Stories 

An initiative of the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians and the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, Family Practice Stories is a collection of tales told by, and about, Hoosier family doctors practicing in the middle of the twentieth century and published in 2013. The stories celebrate that time in America considered by many to be the golden age of generalism in medicine a time that conjures up Norman Rockwell s familiar archetypal images of the country family doctor and a time when the art of healing was at its zenith.

The book is divided into two sections. The first is a collection of reflective essays on various subjects, some written by individuals who participated in interviewing these older doctors, some by invited essayists, and others the perspectives of the doctors themselves concerning medicine and their careers. The second part contains a large collection of stories from Hoosier family physicians that practiced in this era. The stories are specific episodes in their careers and reveal much about how these family doctors touched the lives of their patients and their influence on their communities. 

Family Practice Stories is available for purchase at the Indiana Historical Society History Market, on Amazon, or from the IAFP Foundation. 

What Our Patients Have Taught Us

What Our Patients Have Taught Us features more than a hundred stories from physicians and other healthcare providers detailing how a specific patient enriches their lives through their interactions. This book serves as a companion to the Indiana Historical Society Press's 2013 Family Practice Stories: Memories, Reflections, and Stories of Hoosier Family Doctors of the Mid-Twentieth Century. 

The book's author and editor, Richard Feldman, MD states in his introduction that the doctor-patient relationship "is not a one-way street." While doctors commonly benefit patients with improved health and wellbeing, they also discover more about life and the human condition. "there is a closeness that grows as the physician comes to know a patient as more than an illness to treat or a person who requires preventative care." Feldman writes. "Doctors understand their patients as the human beings they truly are." Patients can inspire the physicians who serve them.

IAFP Historic Family Doctor's Office

The Indiana Medical History Museum is located on the grounds of the former Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane (Central State Hospital) in Indianapolis. The Doctor's Office is an exhibit dedicated to the family physicians who practiced in the Hoosier Heartland. Prior to World War II, most doctors began their careers as general physicians. In this capacity, a doctor served the people in a small town or local community, performing everything from treating common colds and setting broken bones to delivering babies and performing surgery - just plain doctoring.

The exhibit contents comprise the intact office of Dr. Marion Scheetz of Lewisville, Indiana, who practiced from 1938 until his death in 1971. The artifacts were donated by his descendants, and the display was made possible in part by a grant from the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. 

Jackie Schilling Family Practice Medical Student/Resident Fund

In 2001, the Jackie Schilling Fund was established to honor former IAFP Executive Vice President Jackie Schilling. At Jackie’s request, the purpose of the fund is to endow programs and activities that help medical students and residents, and encourage these potential physicians to explore the specialty of family medicine for their future medical careers.

Memorial Contributions

Contributions to the Foundation can be made in memory of a colleague, family member, friend, patient, or other individual. These funds are used to support current and future Foundation programs.

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