AFMA Physician Advisors

AFMA’s Board of Directors is responsible for the selection of Physician Advisors for the organization who advise the board on a number of details related to AFMA decisions and activities. They participate in elements of the Fall Board meeting, including RLS speaker selection and selection of the plenary speaker for the conference. They have also committed to writing articles pertaining to pertinent topics for the AFMA newsletter throughout the year. Finally, they meet with the board during RLS each year to review what each committee has been working on, the goals of the organization and to ask questions regarding how they can better assist us in the year to come.

The collaboration allows for AFMA to play a huge role in administration of our specialty while giving us the benefit of having leaders in our field for advice when needed. It is truly a win-win situation! Our advisors include:

Diana Heiman, MD

Hobart Lee, MD

Dr. Lee went to medical school at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He completed his family medicine residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He was a chief resident there and completed an Academic Faculty Development Fellowship with a focus on creating a Global Health Track for interested family medicine residents. As part of his residency and fellowship, he traveled to Uganda and Ghana. He is married and has a rescued, Pekingese dog named “Jacob”. He loves drinking coffee, listening to music, learning, playing golf, watching sports, traveling, and of course, training new family docs!
From: Faculty Bios – Family Medicine Residency | Loma Linda University Health

Karen Mitchell, MD

Karen Mitchell, MD is the Director, Division of Medical Education of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), a position held since 2018.

Previously, she was the Program Director at Ascension Providence Family Medicine Residency in Southfield, Michigan. She has over 30 years of experience in medical education.

She is a Past President of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD). She served on the American Board of Family Medicine, with the role of Chair from 2006-2007.

She has been active within the AAFP with appointments to several commissions and committees.

She is a past President of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. She has presented educational topics at numerous venues on topics of residency education, immunizations, and finding personal and professional balance.

Dr. Mitchell attended Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan.

She completed family medicine residency education at Providence Hospital in Michigan. She is a graduate of the AFMRD National Institute for Program Director Development fellowship.

She enjoys spending time with her pediatrician husband and two adult sons. Hobbies include ringing in handbell choirs and small ensembles, running, skiing, hiking, and listening to NPR and audiobooks.

Terri Nordin, MD

Steve Schultz, MD

Steve Schultz, MD, became Program Director in May 2002, having joined the faculty on a part time basis in 1999. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and completed his MD in the Brown-Dartmouth program in 1992. Upon completing the Rochester residency program, he served a 4th year as a chief resident. As a resident, Steve served on the AAFP Commission on Education, as well as two years as the resident representative to the Association of Family Medicine Program Directors (AFMRD).

His first job as a family physician was at Woodward Health Center, a federally funded community health center, where he practiced for five years and participated in the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program. He continued his involvement with AAFP, serving on the NYSAFP Commission on Leadership and then on the Board of Directors for two years as their New Physician representative. Steve enjoys writing, and has won the University of Rochester’s Human Values in Health Care Award for best creative work in 2001, 2007 and 2010. In 2010, he was also honored by the New York State Academy of Family Physicians as Family Medicine Educator of the Year. Steve served 4 years on the AFMRD Board of Directors. He has presented numerous times at the Program Directors Workshop, the annual meeting of FM program directors. He was awarded the Gold level of the Program Director Recognition Award in 2015.

Steve enjoys considering how family medicine can improve health systems where family medicine does not exist, and how it has to adapt to best meet the needs of a health care system. He has done family medicine consultations in Russia, Japan, Iran and Angola. He started both the Global Health Track and the Political Advocacy and Leadership Track in the residency, and runs an Explorers Post for high school students interested in health careers.

After living in Rochester’s 19th Ward for 25 years, Steve now lives in Mendon, with his backyard overlook, Irondequoit Creek.

From: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/

Zachry Waterson, DO

Dr. Waterson attended Manchester College in North Manchester, Indiana where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1999 from the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, Missouri where he received his medical degree. He moved back to Indiana and Fort Wayne for his residency training which he completed at the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program. He completed residency training in 2002, serving as Co-Chief Resident during his 3rd year.

Finding Fort Wayne a great place to practice medicine and raise a family, he joined a private practice in Fort Wayne. He joined the faculty of FWMEP in 2003, as the Director of Osteopathic Medical Education.

In 2010, he left his private practice in order to take on a full-time role at FWMEP as an Associate Program Director. During his time as Associate PD, he completed an Academic fellowship for Program Director Development.

In March of 2013, he was promoted to the role of Program Director. In 2013, he also received his degree as Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He became a consultant for the AAFP’s Residency Program Solutions in 2016.

His clinical interests are in internal medicine, obstetrics, and pediatrics. He has two beautiful daughters, Sydney and Riley, and thoroughly loves being a dad. His wife, Pam, is a wonderful woman and is certainly his better half and he would not know what to do without her, but don’t tell her that.

It should be known that he is an avid waterfowl hunter and fisherman. He also enjoys golf and most water-sport activities. When he is not working, you will likely find him in the duck blind or at his lake home enjoying the outdoors with his friends and family.