The Department of Family Medicine records document the founding and history of the department and its various practices, particularly the Chelsea Family Practice Center. Materials in this collection consist of accreditation and annual reports, correspondence, departmental reviews, residency training material, photographs, publications, topical files, and web archives.
The University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine was founded as the Department of Family Practice in 1978. The first chair was Dr. Terence C. Davies. The department was established to improve the quality of primary health care through educating graduate students and conducting research.
The residency program is three years in duration. The residents work at the family practice centers operated by the department where they see patients and work as part of a team of residents and faculty members. The first center was opened in Chelsea, Michigan, in 1978. Students can also chose to fulfill their residency at the center in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which opened in 1993.
Initially, the focus of the department was to establish the patient care practice and the residency program, as well as an undergraduate education program. Following the first department review in 1983, Dr. Davies shifted the focus of the faculty to also emphasize scholarly research. During this review, the University of Michigan confirmed its commitment to maintaining the department.
In 1986, the Briarwood Family Practice was established. Dr. Davies also stepped down as department chair that same year. Dr. Thomas L. Schwenk was named interim chair in 1986 and became chair in 1988. Under Dr. Schwenk, the department expanded, opening additional family practice centers in Ypsilanti, Dexter, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and moving existing practices into new facilities. The department also restructured the governance of the program in 1995. In 1997, the department's name was changed to the Department of Family Medicine to more accurately reflect the academic nature of the department. Additional centers and programs were opened in the following years, including the Japanese Family Health Program (1995), Livonia Health Center (1997), the Stockbridge Family Practice (1998), and the Michigan Integrative Medicine program (2003). The Department of Family Medicine is now nationally well-known and has been ranked in the top five in the nation by U.S. News & World Report from 2003 to 2005.
Thomas L. Schwenk's tenure as chair ended in 2011. Philip Zazove began serving as the interim chair in 2011 and was named chair in 2012. Dr. Zazove is the first deaf physician to work in the state of Michigan and the third certified deaf physician in the history of the United States.
Chairs of the Department of Family Medicine
| Date |
Event |
| 1978-1986 | Terence C. Davies |
| 1986-2011 | Thomas L. Schwenk |
| 2011-2012 | Philip Zazove (interim) |
| 2012- | Philip Zazove |
Name Changes
| Date |
Event |
| 1978-1997 | Department of Family Practice |
| 1997- | Department of Family Medicine |
