A Message From Our Chair

I am proud to serve as the chair of this outstanding and enduring Department of Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Jack Colwill became the first chair of the modern department, and for more than 20 years he led an evolving enterprise that built successful programs in patient care, teaching, and research. During the past 10 years, led by Dr. Harold Williamson, we have grown to more than 50 faculty members representing diverse disciplines, 36 residents, and the strongest staff in the medical school.

It is the people in this department who have helped us become leaders in our school, our health system, and our discipline. Accordingly, our vision, values, and mission are ambitious:

Our vision is being leaders in caring and imparting knowledge and providing service that will improve human health and well-being.

Our values include collaboration, scholarship, integrity, compassion, humor, and respect for self and others. We are committed to providing excellent care and service to our patients and community and fostering professional and personal growth.

Our mission is to enhance health and primary care for our communities, emphasizing rural and underserved areas, through leadership in education, scholarship, and service.

We plan to continue to strive for excellence in patient care, education, and research. Our faculty members teach in all four years of the medical school curriculum, providing leadership in family medicine, behavioral science, epidemiology, sports medicine, geriatrics, and end-of-life care. Physician faculty members practice side by side with our resident physicians in eight practices and three hospitals providing almost 100,000 visits from patients annually. Our research efforts mainly focus on preventing and caring for patients with chronic disease, including the evaluation of innovative approaches to providing patient-centered care.

Please use this website as a view into our department. Our goal is to help you learn more about family medicine at MU. If you have questions or desire additional information, let us know. We welcome and appreciate your interest.

Steven Zweig, MD, MSPH
Paul A. Revare Family Professor and Chair
fcm@health.missouri.edu