As Family Physicians, we are the first. The first person who pops into the head of a worried patient. Their first concerned text. Their first frantic phone call. Their first trusted expert. We’re their first rash-inspector, symptom-checker, and advice-giver. We’re their first line of defense against chronic conditions. We’re their first source for medical histories and family futures. We’re the first to review and reassure in every health situation they face. We’re the first to champion how medicine can transform our community, and the first to advocate for how meaningful change starts with individual, long-term patient-doctor relationships. Read More
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is the nation’s largest medical organization devoted solely to supporting every stage of a family physician’s career—from aspiring students to seasoned professionals. As part of this mission, AAFP is proud to introduce Be Their First, an initiative designed to welcome more medical students into the family medicine community. Be Their First celebrates the compassion and community-oriented mindset of family physicians and inspires medical students to explore a future career in family medicine.
To further this commitment and support the next generation of family physicians, AAFP is sponsoring the Be Their First Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded to up to five (5) first- through third-year medical students, who demonstrate interest in pursuing a career in family medicine. Each scholarship recipient will be awarded $5,000 to help fund their medical school education.
Explore the Be Their First website for educational tools and resources: LINK.
Eligibility Criteria:Must be a legal U.S. resident (50 states + DC).Must be enrolled as a first, second, or third year student at a U.S.-based medical school by the Fall of 2025 and in good standing. Ideal applicants:- Are interested in or plan to pursue family medicine.
- May hold values and interests aligned with family medicine but remain uncertain about their specialty choice.
- May have previously overlooked family medicine due to myths or misconceptions and have not yet explored it fully.
- Must successfully pass standard background verifications.
Application Deadline:Applications are due by April 21, 2025, at 11:59pm PT, but submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Scholarship recipients will be notified during the week of May 15-20, 2025.
Award Details:Scholarship awards will be provided as a check or ACH payment made payable directly to the accredited post-secondary institution of higher education attended by the scholarship recipient, upon verification of enrollment. Scholarship recipients must have at least $5,000 in available credits to which this scholarship can apply between May 2025 and August 2026.
