MMA Bestows Teaching Award to Family Physician and Dedicated Preceptor

May 2, 2024

On May 1, MMA President Laurel Ries, MD, presented the Exceptional Primary Care Community Faculty Teaching Award to Kelsey Leonardsmith, MD, at the sixth-annual Dean’s Tribute to Excellence in Education event at the Bell Museum in St. Paul. 

“Dr. Leonardsmith inspires students to become justice-oriented primary care medical providers," said one of her nominators. "She teaches us that primary care extends beyond the clinic walls, and that we have responsibilities as providers in positions of power to advocate for the policies that impact our patients’ wellbeing.  She challenges us to be better clinicians, while simultaneously encouraging us to continue our skills in primary care. We hope to model these teaching qualities when we become preceptors ourselves.” 

MMA President Laurel Ries, MD, (left) congratulates Kelsey Leonardsmith, MD, on her award.

Leonardsmith practices family medicine at the Family Tree Clinic and Regions Hospital. 

In 2015, the MMA and the University of Minnesota Medical School embarked on what was to become the “Preceptor Initiative,” an effort to develop tools and resources to improve the training and support for preceptors. This partnership serves as a recognition of the important role that community preceptors play in the education of medical students, and their combined commitment to ensuring that there is a sufficient supply of community preceptors across Minnesota.    

The teaching award stemmed from this partnership to recognize those who take the time to teach the future physician workforce. The award honors community faculty members and is co-presented by the MMA and the University of Minnesota Medical School.    

Ries was joined at the event by Janet Silversmith, MMA CEO, and Juliana Milhofer, JD, MMA's public health and policy engagement manager.