Michael Summers, MD, Mary Washington Primary Care Achieves Honorary Degree from the American Academy of Family Physicians

Fredericksburg, VA (September 29, 2022) – Mary Washington Healthcare is proud to recognize Michael Summers, MD, Mary Washington Primary Care, for recently being awarded the Honorary Degree of Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

Established in 1971, the AAFP Degree of Fellow recognizes family physicians who have distinguished themselves through service to family medicine and ongoing professional development. AAFP Fellowship entitles the physician to use the honorary designation “Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians” or “FAAFP.”

Criteria for receiving the AAFP Degree of Fellow consist of a minimum of six years of membership in the organization, extensive continuing medical education, participation in public service programs outside medical practice, conducting original research, and serving as a teacher in family medicine.

Fellows of the AAFP are recognized as champions of family medicine. They are physicians dedicated to making family medicine the premier specialty in service to their community and profession.

“The AAFP supports family physicians through education, research and much more. In preparing for the Fellow Degree, I gained more valuable insight into the vital role family practice will play in the future of healthcare, especially in smaller communities and rural settings,” says Dr. Summers, Medical Director, Mary Washington Primary Care.

Daniel Woodford, MD, Senior Medical Director, Mary Washington Medical Group (MWMG) said, “We are so pleased to have Dr. Summers represent our MWMG and the community through his work with AAFP. His experience, dedication, compassion, and expertise in the field of family medicine exemplify the qualities we value most among our providers in serving the Fredericksburg and surrounding areas.”

Dr. Summers is a board-certified family physician earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Butler University in 1981, followed by his MD degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1985. He completed his Family Practice Residency at Community Hospital Indianapolis in 1988. He has a passion for teaching and enjoys educating medical students on all aspects of medicine. His special interests include preventative care, diabetes, sports medicine, family practice procedures, physician well-being, and coordinating care within the Mary Washington Healthcare system. Married for 39 years, Dr. Summers has three daughters and two grandchildren. To learn more about Dr. Summers, click here.

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ABOUT MARY WASHINGTON HEALTHCARE:
Mary Washington Healthcare is a fully integrated, regional medical system that provides inpatient and outpatient care through over 50 facilities including Mary Washington Hospital, a 471-bed regional medical center, and Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital. Mary Washington Healthcare is a non-profit health system with a longstanding commitment to provide care regardless of ability to pay. For more information about our services and facilities, visit mwhc.com.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS:
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents nearly 127,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.

Nearly one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 208 million office visits each year – nearly 83 million more than to the next medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide the majority of care for America's underserved and rural populations.

In the increasingly fragmented world of health care where many medical specialties limit their practice to a particular organ, disease, age or sex, family physicians are dedicated to treating the whole person across the full spectrum of ages. Family medicine's cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.