Students and FM residents can apply now for the AAFP's Emerging Leader Institute (ELI) in which 30 people are chosen from applicants nationwide to become "change agents" in their community through developing and implementing a leadership project. ELI members collaborate with an assigned mentor and attend national meetings with their cohorts.
Mississippi boasts one of the 2021 ELI leaders - Victoria Ly of William Carey Univ. College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM). "My project is focused on addressing the health literacy rate in Mississippi," Ly said, "specifically in the middle and high school population."
Dr. Melissa Stephens, Assoc. Dean for GME and Population Health at WCUCOM, serves as an ELI mentor for AAFP, helping participants each year with their projects. "I strive to guide and support the scholars as they work to achieve their leadership goals," she said. "It is exciting to watch them truly emerge as leaders in family medicine."
"I have goals that I would like to achieve in my career aimed at serving my community that utilizes the skills and platform given to medical professionals," Ly said. "ELI has been a step in that direction by teaching me the skills necessary to be successful and has given me a community with likeminded individuals."