Students and resident physicians at KU School of Medicine-Wichita are learning from award-winning faculty members and following suit, as two faculty members recently earned national awards and the Family Medicine Interest Group also earned national honors from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Gretchen Irwin, M.D., MBA, associate dean for graduate medical education at KU School of Medicine-Wichita and an associate professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, has been selected as the national 2023 AAFP Exemplary Teacher of the Year for full-time faculty.

Mark Leiker, M.D., a KU School of Medicine-Wichita alumnus who practices at Primary Care Associates in Wichita, has been chosen as the national 2023 AAFP Exemplary Teacher of the Year for volunteer faculty.

When Rick Kellerman, M.D., chair of the Department of Family & Community Medicine, received the news that faculty were the recipients of both the full-time and the volunteer categories of the National AAFP Exemplary Teacher of the Year Awards, he was not surprised.

“I think it is now official," he said. "We can declare that KU School of Medicine-Wichita has a dynasty! I tried not to call it that before, but there is no way around it now.

"Dr. Leiker is our 16th national volunteer teacher of the year, and Dr. Irwin is our second in the full-time faculty category. Winning both categories in the same year is a feather in the cap for all of our faculty, both volunteer and full time. We can no longer deny the facts. We’re up there with the Boston Celtics, the New York Yankees, the UCLA Bruins, and the UConn women’s basketball team!”

The AAFP recognized Irwin for her development of several national curricula and leadership programs, including the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Emerging Leaders Program, the AAFP Chief Resident Leadership Development Program and the Council for Academic Family Medicine Leading Change Program. She was also noted for her skills in teaching medical students and residents.

“She always challenged me to take my choices one step further and really contemplate if I was doing the best thing possible for the patient," one of her former students said.

Leiker, who is also a graduate of the KU School of Medicine-Wichita Family Medicine Residency Program at Ascension Via Christi, was recognized for his clinical skills, his compassionate care and his work to bring about change in his community. As a KU School of Medicine-Wichita preceptor for 23 years, he was cited for helping students master clinical skills and as a role model of a physician who has perfected the doctor-patient relationship.

"Whether helping your patients change their unhealthy habits, showing compassion for their financial hardships, or providing a trusted ear and hope in the midst of tragedy, you exhibit what it truly means to be a family physician," the award stated.

The Family Medicine Interest Group, a student group at KU School of Medicine-Wichita advised by faculty members Lynn Fisher, M.D., and Tessa Rohrberg, M.D., was selected as the recipient of the 2023 AAFP Program of Excellence Award for the fourth year in a row. They were recognized this summer during the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students in Kansas City.

The medical students organize and host outreach events on and off campus that "plant seeds" for family medicine, including Doc for a Day, their largest outreach event that has been inspiring Kansas high school students for more than 20 years.

_{Pictured below: The Family Medicine Interest Group holds their award for the 2023 AAFP Program of Excellence.}