The Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM) is the organization of departments of family medicine.
 

For questions or further information about joining ADFM contact Kim Sevedge at 1-800-274-7928 or by email at adfm@adfm.org.

If you are a Department Chair or Administrator looking for membership, please see our "Departmental Membership" page. 

Associate Membership

ADFM has an Associate Membership category for eligible individuals.

Individuals currently eligible for Associate Membership include: 

• Division Chief of Family Medicine
• Vice Chair or equivalent in a Department of Family Medicine
• Former Family Medicine Department Chair 
• Additional Department Administrators

Individuals must be nominated by their respective ADFM Chair or Senior Administrator (if additional administrator member). If there is no Family Medicine entity in the institution to do the nominating, any ADFM member Chair or Administrator may submit the nomination (see FAQ below).

Associate Member status is not offered and will be withdrawn if there is supervision of a Family Medicine chair (or administrator) in a reporting relationship (e.g. Dean supervision of a Chair).

Benefits of Associate Membership:

• Participation on the Chairs’ or Administrators' listserve, where you can share resources, network, and ask questions of other Family Medicine departments around the country
• Attendance at the ADFM Annual Conference, without going through a Chair- or Administrator- nomination process, including:
  • 2.5 days of packed programming targeted toward leaders of Departments of Family Medicine
  • access to additional preconferences and special workshops, including an all-day workshop for Senior Administrators
• Access to special ADFM programming, such as webinars and mentorship programs (see Programs)
• Access to the member-only resources and tools on the ADFM website
• Regular updates from ADFM via the listserv and newsletters
• Advocacy notices - information from the Hill about Family Medicine-related efforts
• Participation on ADFM Strategic and Annual Conference Planning Committees as their interest and expertise indicate.

Services, as outlined above, are intended to engage our Associate Members so that they find value themselves but also to ensure that their participation has value to our members and to ADFM as a whole.

Fees for Associate Members:
Administrator (retired or employed) -- $308
All Other Retired/Not Employed -- $308
All Other Employed -- $618

A special "Lifetime Associate Membership" is offered to those eligible for Associate Membership as "Former Family Medicine Department Chairs" who meet the other criteria described above and are also 65 or older. All services and rights of Associate Membership would remain for a lifetime, for a one-time fee of $1,000.

New Associate Members
To nominate someone for Associate Membership in ADFM (including Lifetime Associate Membership), send an email to Kim Sevedge (adfm@adfm.org) stating his/her name and which of the above categories she/he is in; the nominee should also send an expression of their interest in joining. An individual may self-nominate but he/she must include a statement (email is fine) of support for this nomination from the ADFM Chair or the ADFM Administrator from his/her Department. The Membership Committee may restrict the number of Associate Members joining ADFM per year to allow us to manage growth.

Associate Membership Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Does the Department of a nominating Chair or Administrator need to be a current paid member of ADFM for an Associate Member to be eligible?
A: Yes. The Chair or Senior Administrator of a current ADFM Member Department (dues paid for current year) can nominate someone for Associate Membership. If dues are not yet paid by the Department, the nomination process may only take place after dues for that year have been received. 

Q: Can Associate Members vote and run for ADFM office?
A: No. Only regular Department members, as defined in the Articles of Incorporation, have voting privileges; for each Department member of ADFM, the Chair, or equivalent, is the lead designated representative to participate in the affairs of the organization and the Senior Department Administrator is eligible to participate in the organization as designated and sponsored by the Chair. Only Department Chairs as lead representatives of regular Department members may run for office except for positions specific to the Senior Administrator role (all Administrators' Steering Committee roles and Administrators' Steering Committee liaisons to the Board of Directors).

Q: Can Associate Members participate in ADFM committees?
A: Yes, Associate Members can participate in ADFM committees, including strategic committees and the Winter Meeting Planning Committee, with approval from committee chairs and in accordance with other rules for committee membership.

Q: How can I be nominated if there is no ADFM member Department in my institution?
A: For some individuals who may fit the Associate Member category, for example, former Department Chairs now in new roles, there may not be an ADFM member in the institution who can do the nominating. If there is a Family Medicine entity that would fit the membership criteria for ADFM, this entity must first join ADFM as a member before someone would be eligible to join as an Associate Member. However, if there is no Family Medicine entity in the institution, and as long as the other rules of Associate Membership are not violated (i.e. supervisory relationships to anyone who is or could be an ADFM member), any ADFM member chair (for a Chair or Administrator Associate Member) or administrator (for an Administrator Associate Member) who knows the nominee and supports their participation as an Associate Member may make the nomination for Associate Membership.

Q: What happens if a Lifetime Associate Member takes on a new role that oversees a current member in a supervisory capacity (e.g. a Dean role)?
A: As with regular Associate Members, Lifetime Associate Members cannot have supervision of a Family Medicine chair (or administrator) in a reporting relationship (e.g. Dean supervision of a Chair). If a Lifetime Associate Member takes on a role that puts them in a position of overseeing a Family Medicine chair or administrator who are or could be member(s) of ADFM, then their Lifetime Associate Membership status will be placed on inactive status until they no longer are in this supervisory position.