College of Medicine ranked among top 20 best family medicine programs

The Texas A&M College of Medicine’s family medicine program has been ranked No. 18 among the best family medicine programs in 2021 by the U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News & World Report bases these rankings on ratings by medical school deans and senior faculty from a list of surveyed schools. Each survey respondent identified up to 15 schools with the best family medicine programs. The schools with the most votes were ranked in descending order based on how many votes they receive from the surveyors.

Family medicine and the COVID-19 pandemic

As a college ranked in the top 20, the College of Medicine is proud to be producing physicians ready to serve in this important specialty, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the school’s faculty and alumni family medicine physicians are currently on the front lines diagnosing and treating patients with the novel coronavirus.

“Primary care providers, especially family medicine physicians, are often the first health care providers you see when you feel ill. Frequently, they are our very first line of defense,” said William Pieratt, DO, College of Medicine associate campus dean and department head for the Department of Primary Care and Population Health. “Now, more than ever, we need quality primary care physicians to be working in our communities during this vulnerable time.”

Family medicine and rural Texas

A big part of the family medicine initiative within the college is the residency program. The Texas A&M Family Medicine Residency program, housed out of Texas A&M Health Family Care where the residents work under the supervision of board-certified family medicine physicians, currently trains 10 family medicine residents every year. More than half of those residents end up practicing in rural or medically underserved hospitals or clinics.

In addition to the importance of quality primary care during COVID-19, it is also vital as Texas struggles with physician shortages across the state, especially in rural areas. Regular access to a primary care provider has been shown to be one of the most effective means of keeping people healthy.

“We are so proud to be ranked among the top 20 programs for family medicine in the country,” said Amy Waer, MD, FACS, interim dean of the College of Medicine. “The undergraduate medical education we provide our medical students and the graduate medical education we provide our residents is unmatched. We will continue producing quality physicians, in primary care as well as other specialties, to help our communities across the state of Texas.”