May 1, 2025
On April 30, MMA President Edwin Bogonko, MD, MBA, presented the Exceptional Primary Care Community Faculty Teaching Award to Ryan McFarland, MD, and Sarah McFarland, MD, at the seventh-annual Dean’s Tribute to Excellence in Education event at the Bell Museum in St. Paul.
One of the students nominating the McFarlands wrote the following: “Their teaching abilities and practice truly inspired me to consider a career in family medicine – something I was not actively considering before then. I am happy to report that I am now applying to family medicine residency, and I recognize that this is largely because of my experience working with Drs. McFarland in Hudson.”
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MMA President Edwin Bogonko, MD, MBA presents the Exceptional Primary Care Community Faculty Teaching Award to two physicians on April 30. |
Both McFarlands practice family medicine at Hudson Physicians in Hudson, Wis.
The MMA has been partnering with the University of Minnesota Medical School since 2015. This is the year the MMA embarked on what was to become the “Preceptor Initiative,” an effort to develop tools and resources to improve the training and support for preceptors. The 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.
With the United States facing a shortage of between 20,200 and 40,400 primary care physicians by 2036, the need for additional preceptors to educate future primary care physicians is critical.
The teaching award stemmed from this partnership, and it recognizes those who take the time to teach the future primary care physician workforce. The award honors community faculty members and is co-presented by the MMA and the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Bogonko was joined at the event by Janet Silversmith, MMA CEO, and Juliana Milhofer, JD, MMA's public health and policy engagement manager.
July 16, 2025
On July 8, the MMA submitted a formal comment in opposition to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule that would dramatically restrict states’ ability to impose Medicaid provider taxes on insurance companies.
July 16, 2025
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison met with the MMA Board of Trustees at its July 14 meeting and offered to regularly engage with the group to discuss the state’s healthcare issues.
July 16, 2025
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning its registrants of new fraud schemes in which scammers impersonate DEA personnel and notify them that they are under investigation, presumably to obtain personal information.