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Family & Community Medicine October 17, 2025

pcw workshop 1Each October, medical schools and providers across the country commemorate National Primary Care Week. As UAB celebrated Primary Care Week on campus, last week, UAB Heersink School of Medicine students learned that primary care is even more than the four associated specialties—Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Med-Peds.

Through hands-on activities, panel discussions, and the inaugural Research Day poster and lightning round competition, UAB Primary Care Week introduced students to the full scope of primary care careers. 

“Primary Care Week is an extraordinary opportunity for us to shape the future of whole-person care across Alabama,” said Irfan Asif, M.D., associate dean of Primary Care and Rural Health. “Students attending these interactive sessions could really take advantage of opportunities to network and learn from providers while exploring careers from sideline medicine to house calls or thinking about how to integrating research into their future practices. Through these collaborative efforts, I want UAB to continue cultivating the next generation of primary care physicians.” 
 
Primary Care Week festivities kicked off by highlighting the vital role research plays in overall health by hosting lightning talk and poster session competitions. Research in primary care is essential to improving health care delivery and outcomes, and this forum spotlighted the huge variety of topics UAB researchers are studying, from nutrition, physical activity, and behavioral health to AI and pain management. 

primary care week 2025 research 45 1“Our inaugural Research Day was an enormous success,” said Department of Family and Community Medicine Assistant Professor Catheryn A. Orihuela, PhD, who helped to organize the competition. “Offering opportunities for poster and oral sessions provided a valuable opportunity for learners to refine their presentation skills in a relaxed, peer-supported environment. It also provided a chance to showcase our vibrant research community that supports cutting edge science related to primary care.” 

Eighteen medical students, post-docs, staff, and faculty displayed their work during Research Day. A panel of judges awarded Heersink students Clark Baker and Javier Jurado Velez first place in the poster and lightning talks respectively. Baker’s poster covered the Para Athlete Research for Wellness, Injury Prevention, and Sports Medicine Excellence (PARA-WISE) Wellness program, while Velez’s talk centered on his study exploring the relationship between social resources and uncontrolled hypertension in patients from a rural population. 

Students also enjoyed the opportunity to cultivate their clinical skills. During a hands-on workshop hosted by Family and Community Medicine faculty, Pediatrics residents, and Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellows, 35 learners covered suturing and removing foreign objects from the nose and ear. 

Two panel discussions covering primary care careers and the financial side of medicine wrapped up the week’s activities.

Seven physicians spanning multiple primary care specialties and clinical practice settings fielded questions during a faculty and provider panel, where they shared not only their journey to choosing a career in primary care but also perspectives on burn-out and the future of primary care. Attendees also learned about opportunities outside of traditional clinic settings.

pcw workshop 2"I never feel like more of a doctor than when I'm taking care of a patient in their home,” explained Austin Oslock, M.D., MPH, an assistant professor within UAB Internal Medicine – Pediatrics, who shared his role with UAB House Calls. “Home-based primary care is an area of medicine I knew nothing about as a medical student, and I was excited to be on this panel to share this novel concept with students. I hope students walked away from the panel with a better sense of the wide spectrum of primary care, and the fulfillment that a career in primary care can bring."

The week’s most popular session—Money in Medicine—featured an honest, practical Q/A on loan repayment, scholarships, compensation, and self-advocacy from a panel working across departments at UAB, in private practice, and in community settings. 

In 2026, National Primary Care Week will be celebrated October 5-9.


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