Raleigh Family Physician Named President of State's Largest Medical Specialty Society

RALEIGH, NC, UNITED STATES, December 11, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Garett Franklin, MD, a Raleigh family physician, was installed as President of the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians (NCAFP) for a one-year term during the organization’s annual meeting on Saturday, December 2.

Dr. Franklin attended North Carolina State University graduating with a BS in engineering in 2003, a BA in chemistry in 2007 and a Masters of Physiology in 2008. He completed medical school at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in 2012 and went on to complete his family medicine residency and a primary care sports medicine fellowship at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Dr. Franklin practices family medicine and sports medicine at Raleigh Medical Group/Cary Medical Group in Raleigh, and he also works at NC State University as a team physician. He is active in academic and clinical research, along with advocacy efforts at the NC General Assembly.

In his inaugural address to NCAFP members at the annual meeting’s Presidential Gala, Dr. Franklin noted that family physicians are the Swiss Army Knife of healthcare. “We can do it all,” he said, “from babies to children to adults to geriatrics to procedures, the list goes on. We are also the glue that holds the disjointed healthcare system together.”

Dr. Franklin also reviewed a bit of the history of the 75 years of the NCAFP, as the organization completed celebrating its 75th Anniversary. “But more importantly,” he said, “I am fully confident that the family physicians of this state will write the next great chapters of healthcare in North Carolina. We are equipped and ready to continue to serve our patients and our communities for many more years to come.”

A native of Drexel in the foothills of North Carolina, Dr. Franklin lives in Raleigh with his wife and two children, with a third due any day.

President-Elect: Dr. S. Mark McNeill
S. Mark McNeill, MD, FAAFP, an Asheville family physician, was installed as President-Elect of NCAFP. He attended Appalachian State University for his undergraduate degree before completing medical school at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. He completed his Family Medicine residency at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville before spending a year working as a physician in New Zealand.

Dr. McNeill has served as an information technology (IT) champion for most of his eighteen-year career, leading numerous quality improvement initiatives. His leadership in IT and his experience as a change agent led him to open his own patient-centric, portal-facilitated solo practice in 2012.

In addition to his practice responsibilities, Dr. McNeill enjoys teaching rotating residents from MAHEC’s Family Medicine Residency Program and students from the UNC School of Medicine. He lectures nationally on digital workflow-related topics. He is active with the Western North Carolina Medical Society and served as the society’s president in 2019. He and his wife reside in Asheville. He has been a member of the NCAFP Board of Directors for the last four years.

Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. Benjamin Franklyn Simmons
Benjamin Franklyn Simmons, MD, a Charlotte family physician, was installed as Secretary/Treasurer of NCAFP for a one-year term. Dr. Simmons attended Longwood University for his undergraduate degree before completing medical school at the Howard University College of Medicine. He completed his family medicine residency at the Carolinas Medical Center (Atrium) in Charlotte before beginning work as a family physician at Atrium Health.

He currently serves as core faculty in the system’s Family Medicine Residency Program’s Monroe location. Dr. Simmons has served in numerous prior leadership roles at the local, state, and national level, including several years on the NCAFP Board of Directors and a year as the New Physician Board member of the American Academy of Family Physicians

Immediate Past President: Dr. Shauna Guthrie
Shauna Guthrie, MD, MPH, FAAFP a family physician in Henderson, was installed as Immediate Past President. Dr. Guthrie currently practices at Sunflower Direct Primary Care while also serving as Chief Medical Officer for Maria Parham Health and Medical Director at Granville Vance Public Health. Dr. Guthrie completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Kansas and attended medical school at the Drexel University College of Medicine. She completed residency training in family medicine at the New Hampshire Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency. After finishing her family medicine residency, Dr. Guthrie stayed in New Hampshire to complete the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency, where she also completed her master's in public health with a focus on quality improvement.

More than 750 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students attended the NCAFP’s Winter Family Physicians Weekend in Asheville. The NCAFP is the largest specialty medical association in North Carolina with over 4,300 members.

About the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Inc.
The North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Inc. (NCAFP) is a non-profit professional association headquartered in Raleigh representing over 4,300 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students across North Carolina. It is the largest medical specialty association in North Carolina and is a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, based in Leawood, Kansas. For assistance in coordinating interviews with any of these individuals, please contact Executive Vice President Greg Griggs at 919-980-5228 or ggriggs@ncafp.com.

Greg Griggs
NC Academy of Family Physicians
+1 919-980-5228
email us here

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