We are pleased to announce the ballot for our 2023 – 2024 Student Delegate positions.
Voting is now open and will be conducted electronically via the online link below. Student members will vote for the delegates for the student delegate positions. The future of Family Medicine in Louisiana is BRIGHT!
Learn more about each nominee and what led each nominee to seek a delegate position.
Student Delegate to LAFP Board of Directors
CHRISTINE EDOMWANDE, MS-3, LSUHSC-New Orleans
Ms. Edomwande states in her nomination profile, “In 2022 year I served as the Alternate Delegate for both the AAFP National Conference and LAFP General Assembly. During National Conference, I stepped in for our Delegate at a few of the conference meetings. I believe the skills and leadership abilities I have acquired while serving these roles will be beneficial to the LAFP and have prepared me for this new position. I want to continue to increase interest and exposure to Family Medicine amongst my peers and other Louisiana medical students. The events and programs that I have participated in so far with the LAFP have been rewarding and I would be honored to continue to serve this organization as a student leader.”
KACY HENWOOD, MS-2, LSUHSC-New Orleans
Ms. Henwood includes in her profile, “I would like to serve on the LAFP Board of Directors so I can support the organization and physicians that have immensely helped me throughout medical school. All the Family Medicine physicians I have met have been extremely helpful, answering all my questions and allowing me to shadow them. On top of that, LAFP has provided wonderful speakers to the Family Medicine Interest group at LSUHSC in New Orleans. They have taken time out of their busy schedules to share information about the diverse ways people practice family medicine. Being on the Board of Directors for LAFP allows me to use my skills to help this organization that has poured their resources into my education. This position would allow me to learn about ways I can be more active in LAFP and also give me the opportunity to learn from clinicians and residents about how LAFP has impacted them. Working with the Board of Directors will allow me to learn about the ideas, and issues that current clinicians and residents have. This will help me learn what to expect in the future as a clinician but also help me develop skills and solutions to address current or future problems. I will also be able to express the medical student perspective. It will help me become an advocate for my peers now and in the future. Finally, I will be able to network and find mentors that can help me become the best physician I can be.
ABIGAIL MOHR, MS-2, Tulane School of Medicine
Ms. Mohr includes in her profile, “As a person who has been interested pursuing Family Medicine as a specialty since I first entered medical school, it was quite apparent that this field is not held in high esteem by many physicians or by medical academic institutions as a whole. This created a difficult environment to serve as the President of Tulane’s FMIG – it felt like an uphill battle to get students interested in this highly fascinating field of medicine. Additionally, there was not an upperclassman Tulane medical student to turn to for guidance or who encouraged interaction with the. Multiple leaders and physicians within the LAFP and the FM department reached out to me, but that is different than getting advice from a similar student that has once been in my shoes. That is why I would like to continue working with the LAFP now that I have transitioned out of FMIG leadership: my goal is to now be a liaison between younger students – both at Tulane and LSU – and the upper administration of the LAFP organization. I want to be able to distill information learned on the Board of Directors back to my fellow classmates and also encourage their participation in upper-level leadership once they graduate in the future from leading their FMIGs.”
CLAIRE ROMAINE, MS-3, Tulane School of Medicine
Ms. Romaine states in her profile, “I am a 3rd year Tulane MD/MPH student planning to pursue family medicine. Though I have primarily been exposed to academic medicine during my training, I fell in love with family medicine during a rotation at a private office in Raine, Louisiana. I see LAFP as the ideal opportunity to gain mentorship from leaders in community medicine and private practice. I don’t plan to be in academic medicine forever, and I hope that LAFP will teach me more about issues facing our profession at a broader level. Additionally, I see involvement in LAFP as a way to give back to the amazing people of Louisiana. My dad is from rural Vermillion parish, though the Romaines are now spread throughout the state. Training in New Orleans, where many Louisianans (including my family) travels to receive specialist care, I have seen that patients with a close relationship to a family physician near their home do SO MUCH better, regardless of what specialists may try.
Student Delegate to the LAFP General Assembly
CHRISTINE EDOMWANDE, MS-3, LSUHSC-New Orleans
Ms. Edomwande states in her profile, “I am currently the Student Government VP of Legacy and Communications at LSU in New Orleans in which I lead the creation and production of the school yearbook and currently manage the SGA social media. I was also Historian of the Student National Medical Association at my school and was responsible for creating flyers and managing the social media account. Other previous leadership positions include being a former president of FMIG and a Resident and Student Leadership Committee Co-chair. I also served as the 2022 Alternate Student Delegate to General Assembly. I would be honored to serve again.”
ABIGAIL MOHR, MS-2, Tulane School of Medicine
Ms. Mohr includes in her profile, “While I have a lot of experience in teaching, research, and working on the clinical side as a physician, I do not have as much experience in healthcare advocacy. I have always had an interest in public health and lessening the inequities one sees in the south, and I hope that this position will give me the tools to make a difference in these areas. Once given this help, I will be able to better represent Louisiana and its population as a whole, an in addition I hope to give a voice to the current medical students and residents wanting to better influence changes made in healthcare for this state.”
Student Delegate to the AAFP National Conference
CHRISTINE EDOMWANDE, MS-3, LSUHSC-New Orleans
Ms. Edomwande states in her profile, “Experiencing the AAFP National Conference as the 2022 Alternate Delegate to National Conference shed light to the contribution I can make, even as a medical student. When it comes to proposing resolutions, I can be a positive influence in the AAFP future policies and programming. I stepped in for our Delegate at a few of the conference meetings and have experience regarding the Congress and how delegate meetings are conducted.”
ABIGAIL MOHR, MS-2, Tulane School of Medicine
Ms. Mohr states in her profile, “Students in this position need to have a good understanding of the patients they are representing in their state. I come from a working class, rural community that reflects that majority of this state. But I now also live in New Orleans and can see the different health needs necessitated by a larger city. I can use both experiences to best propose resolutions for medical students and residents within this state. Additionally, I served on the Student Clinic Council as a Clinic Leader for a local rehabilitation center. In this role, I learned how to work as a liaison between upper-level leadership and volunteers. Both roles are important but are going to have vastly different needs and desires within the organization. It was my place to work between the two, and I believe this would give me an edge when working with the AAFP at a national level in support of our more local needs and propositions unique to Louisiana. I grew up in the rural southeast, so I understand how imperative it is for students and physicians to advocate for a place in the national political sphere. Louisiana is a unique and fascinating state with diverse medical needs across both urban and rural landscapes, and it is my hope that I can use my own experiences in these spaces to represent this state in the best way I can as a student still in the beginning phase of her medical career.
SARAH POWELL, MS-4, American University of the Caribbean
Ms. Powell states in her profile, “Having attended the AAFP National Conference in 2022, including observing the Congress of Delegates, I believe I have experience that would benefit myself and the LAFP as the representative. I have held leadership positions previously, including Editor in Chief of the AUC student paper and Research Coordinator for the OBGYN interest group. I am extroverted and enjoy social situations like conferences. I am dedicated to the field of Family Medicine, as shown by my attendance to the National Conference previously and am invested in the practice of preventative medicine and women’s health. I know my passion will be an asset as well. I hope to gain a better understanding of the Academy and its actions from the local to national levels. As a future family physician, I want to become as involved and gain as much knowledge as possible in order to better serve and represent my patients and their interests, as well as the interests of my colleagues. I know I can contribute my experience as a leader and as a previous conference attendee. Above all, having grown up in Louisiana and seeking to practice here, I will contribute my passion for this community and its health.”
CLAIRE ROMAINE, MS-3, Tulane School of Medicine
In her profile she states, “Thanks to a strong undergraduate foundation in public health and bioethics at the University of Virginia, as well as professional experiences in healthcare technology and administration, I have close familiarity with many of the “things they don’t teach you in med school.” I believe that my knowledge in health policy and management will allow me to understand and contribute to LAFP/AAFP goals. Additionally, having previously completed a semester-long internship in Geneva, Switzerland, attending United Nations meetings, I have experience collaborating at large meetings and conferences. Prior to medical school, I worked as a project manager on Epic’s population health team. Among my many responsibilities including the setup of claims data dashboards and the design of SDOH functionality, I acted as liaison between hospital executives and computer programmers. I worked with c-suite physicians and public health experts in envisioning how EHR could better serve their organizations’ contributions to community health. In this role, I developed a confident knowledge base of many of today’s vital healthcare topics including electronic health record integration, value-based care, payer communication and relationships, and closed-loop referrals. All these topics are part of current AAFP policy goals. I also have interest and experience with LAFP-specific policy goals. I previously interned in the department of workforce management at University of Virginia Health System, so I understand the importance of supervision of mid-level care providers. I have completed a month-long trauma surgery rotation at UMC New Orleans, so I have witnessed the need to curb gun violence. I hope to provide obstetrical care as a rural provider, so I am excited to advocate for family medicine’s continued role in maternal/child health. My prior experiences will allow me to advocate for these and other important LAFP issues.”
