Farley-Frey Awards Honor Leadership, Service, and Storytelling

At the 2026 Farley-Frey Awards, speakers and award recipients reflected on what it means to care for patients, mentor learners, tell stories, and serve communities while staying connected to what first drew them to medicine.

The evening featured the Eugene and Linda Farley Visiting Professorship address, the Frey Writing Awards, the Paster Family Foundation Salutogenic Science Award, and a tribute to retiring faculty member Dr. Jon Temte who received the Chair’s Award.

Eugene and Linda Farley Visiting Professor: Dr. Jehni Robinson

This year’s visiting professor, Dr. Jehni Robinson, chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Southern California, challenged attendees to rethink how success is defined in academic medicine.

In his introduction, Department Chair Dr. Dave Rakel highlighted Robinson’s national leadership in family medicine and her advocacy for vulnerable populations through street medicine and homeless health care programs in Los Angeles. He also praised her ability to lead with curiosity, openness, and compassion.

In her address, The Weight and the Wonder, Robinson reflected on the demands of family medicine and the challenge of balancing patient care, teaching, research, service, and personal well-being.

“How can we be successful with all of this?” she asked.

Drawing on both leadership research and her own experiences as a physician, Robinson argued that success is often less about titles, productivity, or recognition and more about impact, values, and relationships.

She shared the story of a longtime patient whose visits frequently felt unsuccessful, reminding attendees that some of the most meaningful aspects of family medicine cannot be measured by conventional metrics.

“The continuity is the secret sauce,” she said, referring to the relationships family physicians build with patients, learners, colleagues, and communities.

Robinson encouraged attendees to focus on presence while regularly asking whether their work aligns with their values and supports their well-being.

She later described how a medical student unexpectedly connected with that same patient, transforming what had often felt like a frustrating clinical relationship into a meaningful encounter and reinforcing the value of continuity in family medicine.

“Family medicine brings such flexibility and possibility,” Robinson said. “Connection and celebration can provide the most important measure of value along the way.”

Frey Writing Awards

The evening also recognized recipients of the Frey Writing Awards. The awards were established in 2010 to honor Dr. John Frey, past chair of DFMCH, and to recognize and encourage individual creative writing.

Presenter Frey reflected on his own journey as a writer and encouraged attendees to continue documenting their experiences.

“There’s a need for all of us to write about what we’re doing and what we’re experiencing,” he said.

Winners

• Primary Care Can Be Found Everywhere! (Caitlin Regner, MD)
• Final Course (Monica Hammer, DO)
• Gown and Glove (Monica Hammer, DO)
• Rift (Sophie Chatas, MD)
• Brain Tumor (Jonas Lee, MD)
• Becoming a Good One (Calvin Grass)

Paster Family Foundation Salutogenic Science Award: Joel Hill, MPAS

Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Paster Family Foundation Salutogenic Science Award.

Introducing the award, Rakel described salutogenesis as the study of the origins of health, complementing medicine’s traditional focus on disease and suffering. Presenter Dr. Zorba Paster emphasized that improving health requires understanding communities, honoring culture, and building trust.

This year’s recipient, Joel Hill, MPAS, was recognized for years of community-based health work in Belize, particularly efforts to expand cervical cancer screening.

Accepting the award, Hill described screening initiatives that began more than a decade ago and continue to improve access to preventive care. Funding from the award will help expand those efforts into additional communities.

Hill also thanked his wife for supporting years of travel and service and reflected on the broader culture of community engagement across the department.

“There is so much community medicine happening,” he said. “Everybody’s doing amazing community service.”

Honoring Dr. Jon Temte’s Career with the Chair’s Award

The evening concluded with the presentation of the Chair’s Award to Dr. Jon Temte, who will retire this fall after a distinguished career as a clinician, educator, researcher, writer, and leader.

Introducing Temte, Rakel reviewed several recent honors, including the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Research Paper of the Year Award, the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians Lifetime Achievement Award, and the John G. Walsh Award for Lifetime Contributions to Family Medicine.

Rakel praised Temte’s rare ability to bridge science and humanism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Temte helped physicians interpret rapidly evolving research while continuing his work as a respected writer and poet.

Accepting the recognition, Temte focused not on his achievements but on the colleagues, staff, learners, administrators, friends, and family members who made his work possible.

“Rarely, and I would say never, are we successful without community,” he said.

His remarks echoed a theme that surfaced throughout the evening: meaningful work is built through relationships.

As attendees gathered to celebrate another year of accomplishments, the 2026 Farley-Frey Awards served as a reminder that the enduring strength of family medicine lies not only in its breadth of expertise but also in its commitment to people, partnership, and purpose.

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