New AAFP president begins term at helm of 130,000 family physicians

Family medicine remains the “north star” of American health care, said the new president of the Amercian Academy of Family Physicians.

Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP, has taken the helm as president of AAFP, representing 130,000 family physicians, residents, and medical students across the nation.

“Family medicine is the north star of our health care system, and the AAFP is the compass that guides family physicians as we care for our communities,” Brull said in a news release. “I am deeply honored to lead an organization so focused on helping today’s family physicians and mentoring future family doctors as we share our unwavering commitment to providing excellent primary care to our patients and communities.”

Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP
_{© American Academy of Family Physicians}

A 20-plus-year family physician, Brull practiced in rural Plainville, Kansas. She also served 12 years as health officer for the Rooks County, Kansas, Health Department.

‘A true servant leader’

Brull is now vice president of clinical engagement for Aledade, a company that partners with independent primary care physicians to succeed in value-based care.

“Dr. Jen Brull is a true servant leader,” Aledade CEO and co-founder Farzad Mostashari said in a news release announcing Brull’s presidency election in October 2023.

“Whether running her own practice or leading the largest primary care medical society in the nation, she has always focused on what is most important: bringing the highest quality care to patients and their families,” Mostashari said. “We have been so fortunate to call her a colleague and leader here at Aledade, and are thrilled for her and our nation’s primary care professionals as she takes on this new role.”

‘To the stars, through difficulty’

AAFP started in 1947 and remains the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct an estimated one in five office visits, or 192 million visits a year, or 48% more than the next most visited medical specialty.

“I’m deeply honored to have been entrusted with this role by so many family medicine friends and colleagues,” Brull said in the news release. “I’ve always drawn inspiration from the saying, ‘ad astra per aspera’ – to the stars, through difficulty. To me, it’s a reminder that every journey presents challenges but, by staying focused on your guiding star, you can draw lessons through those difficult moments.

“My guiding star has always been, and will continue to be, bringing excellent primary care to patients all across the country,” she said. “I’m deeply grateful to have the chance to advance that mission in this new role.”

A member of the AAFP since 1995, Brull has served the Academy as chair of the Commission on Membership and Member Services and convener of the Working Group on Rural Health. She has served during the AAFP’s Congress of Delegates on the Reference Committees on Organization and Finance, and as the New Physician Constituency delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates. At the state level, Brull has served the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians in various leadership roles including president-elect, president and board chair.

AAFP said Brull has made a remarkable impact on health care throughout her career. She served two years as a Health Information Technology Fellow for the Office of the National Coordinator and was recognized as a Hypertension Control Challenge Champion by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014. She was named as a Top 25 Innovator by Modern Healthcare in 2019 and is a physician leader in performance improvement and change management.

Brull is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City. She completed her residency program at the Family Medicine Residency Program of Topeka, where she served as chief resident.