Lewis E. Foxhall, M.D., receives Presidential Award of Merit
Lewis Foxhall, M.D., center, receives the 2012 TAFP Presidential Award of Merit from the Texas Academy of Family Physicians during the organization’s 63rd Annual Session and Scientific Assembly. With Dr. Foxhall are TAFP President Troy Fiesginer, M.D., left, and TAFP Past President I.L. Balkcom IV, M.D., right.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Lewis E. Foxhall, M.D., of Houston, Texas, was awarded the Presidential Award of Merit by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians during TAFP’s 63rd Annual Session and Scientific Assembly in Austin on July 14. TAFP President I.L. Balkcom IV, M.D., of Sulphur Springs, chose to honor Dr. Foxhall with this award for his leadership of the Texas Statewide Family Medicine Preceptorship Program.
Dr. Foxhall is a family physician, professor, and senior leader at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Throughout his career, he has been a leader in organized medicine on all levels, including serving as TAFP president and on the Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees.
He served as director of the Texas Statewide Family Medicine Preceptorship Program for more than a decade. The preceptorship program matches medical students with an experienced family physician for a two- to four-week period to help them gain real-life experience in a community setting. By participating in a family medicine preceptorship, students have the opportunity to explore what being a family physician is really about and many have decided to pursue family medicine as a result of their participation.
When funding for the program was zeroed out during the 82nd Texas Legislature in 2011, Dr. Foxhall played a pivotal role in shepherding it to TAFP to ensure the program continues to the benefit of the medical students of Texas and the specialty of family medicine. The TAFP Board of Directors voted last year for the Academy to continue administration of the program, and the TAFP Foundation Board of Trustees voted at their July 2012 meeting to create a fund to reinstate the stipends for the benefit of the program and all Texans.
“I really can only accept this award on behalf of all the preceptors that have worked with the Statewide Family Medicine Preceptorship Program for so many years, and also on behalf of Jack Haley, who was my mentor and predecessor in working with the program. He did great work putting it together and getting it going and I was fortunate to be able to carry the ball for a while and appreciate having had that opportunity,” Dr. Foxhall told attendees of the awards lunch.
He was awarded his medical degree by Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and completed a family medicine residency with Corpus Christi Family Medicine Residency Program in Corpus Christi.
The Texas Academy of Family Physicians is the premier membership organization dedicated to uniting the family doctors of Texas through advocacy, education and member services, and empowering them to provide a medical home for patients of all ages. It has 33 local chapters and is a chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Visit www.tafp.org for more information.
CONTACT:
Kate Alfano
Texas Academy of Family Physicians
(512) 329-8666 ext. 16