The Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians (WAFP) has selected Mark Beamsley, MD, as its 2022 Family Medicine Educator of the Year. The award honors individuals who are recognized by peers, residents, and students for excellence in teaching and for modeling compassionate patient care and community involvement.
Mark Beamsley, MD
A graduate of the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) Madison Residency Program, Beamsley has served on the department’s faculty for over 20 years. He is currently director of medical student education where he mentors 4–6 medical students per year and facilitates multiple Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) community service projects in addition to serving as a major course director. Through his work with FMIG, a student run organization structured to give those with an interest in family medicine a supportive learning environment, Beamsley sees firsthand the compassion and commitment of the family medicine physicians of the future. It’s work that aligns with his own interests in medicine, solving puzzles, and even gardening—passions that translate well when it comes to teaching.
“Teaching offers the reward of nurturing learners and seeing them grow,” said Beamsley. “It also motivates me as a learner and reminds me of so many important reasons we all go into this field.”
According to current resident Dr. Melissa Ricker, Beamsley embodies the “physician as teacher” model.
“While working with him as a medical student, he always had a special way of attentively listening, encouraging my strengths, and adding a new pearl of knowledge,” shared Ricker. “Now as a resident, I’ve continued to learn new skills from him, including how I can more effectively teach my own medical students.”
Dr. Rutvi Shah, an SMPH 2022 graduate and first year resident at DFMCH, agrees that Beamsley is a good listener with the ability to inspire his students.
“He genuinely cared about integrating community health or advocacy work into our curriculum, acknowledging that it is such a vital aspect of our role as physicians,” added Shah. “He is also very invested in incorporating our feedback to make something a better educational experience for students and residents. It is an incredible honor to not only have had Mark as a mentor, but now also a residency faculty colleague.”
Beamsley will receive his award at the annual McGovern-Tracey and Student Scholars Dinner on April 18, 2023. It’s an opportunity for colleagues and students to recognize the contributions he’s made in a career devoted to educating the family medicine physicians of tomorrow.
For more information about the WAFP Family Medicine Educator of the Year Award visit https://www.wafp.org/leadership/toolkit/awards/.
Published: March 2023