STFM PODCAST - Academic Medicine Leadership Lessons
What separates a good leader from a great one? These in-depth interviews with some of family medicine's most influential leaders provide insight into pivotal experiences that boosted leadership skills and provided unprecedented opportunities for personal growth. This series of podcasts explores the development of leadership skills, including clarity, courage, decisiveness, humility, and passion, as a means to facilitating growth during times when healthcare professionals are addressing:• Motivation and Mentorship• Burnout and Transitions• Milestones and Meaning• Barriers and BureaucracyThis series of podcasts is sponsored by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), the academic home for family medicine educators.
STFM PODCAST - Academic Medicine Leadership Lessons
Strengthen Your Advocacy Message Using Voter Voice with Nina DeJonghe, MPP
Family medicine professionals are deeply committed to providing high-quality care for their patients. However, they also recognize that political decisions significantly impact the communities they serve. In this episode, Nina DeJonghe, Director of Government Relations at STFM, shows us how to turn our passion for patient care into advocacy action. She pulls back the curtain on Congress and its operations, and champions the surprising efficacy of constituent letters. Ms DeJonghe highlights STFM resources to help you advocate at both the state & federal levels, shares ways you can influence national health care policies, and provides a plethora of resources to engage your powerful voice for change in family medicine.
Hosted by Omari A. Hodge, MD, FAAFP and Jay-Sheree Allen Akambase, MD
Copyright © Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, 2025
Resources:
- Family Medicine DEI Advocacy Toolkit
- CAFM Advocacy Action Center - Voter Voice
- Advocacy Scholarship for New Faculty - scholarship to attend the Family Medicine Advocacy Summit (FMAS) in Washington DC
- STFM Advocacy Resources and Key Issues
- STFM Advocacy Course
Other Podcast Episodes:
- URM JAM Podcast Episode 16: Serve Your Community Through Family Medicine Advocacy with Jehni S. Robinson, MD, FAAFP
- The STFM Podcast July 2022: Family Medicine’s Place in Advocacy with Andrea Anderson, MD, FAAFP
Guest Bio:
Nina DeJonghe, MPP, is a seasoned public policy professional with several years of leadership, legislative, and non-profit experience. As the Director of Government Relations for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), she oversees the advocacy functions for the Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM), which comprises the leadership of academic family medicine organizations. Nina liaises with Congress, federal agencies, external organizations, and relevant stakeholders to coordinate efforts that advance family medicine priorities. Her current advocacy efforts address critical issues such as workforce shortages, increasing funding for primary care research, expanding Graduate Medical Education (GME), and enhancing patient accessibility to healthcare services to improve community outcomes nationwide.
Nina is a Michigan native. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Eastern Michigan University and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University. She has significant success working towards effective policy solutions, thoughtful partnerships, and accessibility to critical funding and resources. She has dedicated her professional career to strengthening marginalized and underserved communities.
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