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Dr. Lori J. Heim is president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Dr. Heim was elected to the board of directors in September 2005 by the AAFP's governing body, the Congress of Delegates. As president of the AAFP, Dr. Heim advocates on behalf of family physicians and patients nationwide to inspire positive change in the US health care system. A practicing family physician, Dr. Heim currently serves as a hospitalist at Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, North Carolina, where she manages the in-patient care of adult patients referred by primary care physicians in the community. She is joined in the hospitalist program by four internal medicine physicians and two family nurse practitioners. Previously, she was in private practice in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

A member of the AAFP since 1985, Dr. Heim served as a delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates from 2000 to 2004. She served on the Commission on Health Care Services and on the Task Force of Linkages to Practice Improvement. In addition, she held the offices of president, vice president, and member of the board of directors of the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Heim joined the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians when she retired from the US Air Force in 2007 and relocated to North Carolina. Dr. Heim also served on the board of managers of TransforMED LLC, a for-profit wholly-owned subsidiary of the AAFP that is focused on helping primary care medical practices adopt the patient-centered medical home model of care. In this role, Dr. Heim worked with other members of the board of managers to approve and oversee the TransforMED operating budget, as well as goals and performance measures to assure consistency with the AAFP's budgeted capital contributions to the new business entity.

Dr. Heim earned her bachelor's degree with honors from Portland State University, Oregon, and was then commissioned in the US Air Force and earned her medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Maryland. She completed her residency at the Family Medicine Residency Program at Andrews Air Force Base. She then completed a fellowship in faculty development and research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Heim is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and is a fellow of the AAFP.

Dr. Heim has lectured worldwide and her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals. She has participated in humanitarian missions and volunteered in medical clinics in under-served communities. She has received numerous decorations, including the Air Force Meritorious Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal. Her awards include the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Humanitarian Service Award and the National Defense Service Award.

Schedule29 Mar 2024