History of the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences
Wayne State University’s Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences dates back to 1970, when the Department of Community and Family Medicine was organized. The department was created in response to efforts by the Michigan state legislature and the Governor’s office to encourage medical students to enter the field of Family Practice in order to replace the dwindling numbers of generalists providing medical care to the State of Michigan. Key support for the new department was provided by Dr. Hank Gardner, the first CEO of the University Health Center, Dr. Theodore Goldberg, then Chair of Community Medicine, and Dr. George Mogill, chief of Family Practice at Harper Hospital.
The Department of Family Medicine (DFM) separated from Community Medicine in 1973 in order to facilitate a clear focus on the discipline of Family Practice. The first department chairman, Dr. Joseph Hess, was appointed in 1974 after a national search. Three dedicated family physicians made the new family practice residency program a reality by merging their practices into a clinical service to support residency training. Drs. Dwight Dutcher, Sol Leland, and Darwin Beldon joined the full time faculty of the new DFM in 1974 and brought their patients into the FP residency program, located in McLaughlin Hall next to Harper Hospital. The first residents entered the FP residency program in 1975. Raymond Demers, MD, transferred into the program with advanced standing after completing a 3-year internal medicine residency program and was the first program graduate in 1977. The first full class graduated in 1978.
After Dr. Hess retired in 1985, John J. Dallman, MD, chaired the DFM from 1985-1990. Dr. Paul Werner started in the DFM as Director of Predoctoral Medical Education and then served as chair from 1990 – 1998. During his tenure, Dr. Werner strengthened the teaching programs of the department and invested extensively in programs of faculty development and created the Division of Medical Education.
Dr. Maryjean Schenk joined the DFM as a faculty member in the Occupational and Environmental Health division and succeeded Dr. Werner in 1998 to become the fourth chair of the DFM and the first woman to head a clinical department at the WSU School of Medicine. At that time, the majority of our department members were assistant professor physician teachers who were well regarded in the areas of patient care and clinical teaching. Dr. Schenk’s charge from the School of Medicine was to sustain the department’s reputation for clinical and teaching excellence, expand our teaching roles throughout the School of Medicine, and achieve national academic recognition through the expansion of the department’s scholarship and research.
As chair through 2010, Dr. Schenk and other leaders within the department marshaled the creativity, commitment, and persistence of the faculty, recruited of additional key faculty, and integrated faculty from the former Department of Community Medicine and the Center for Healthcare Effectiveness Research to become the newly-named Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences (DFMPHS). The new name incorporated not only expanded research directions in the department, but also the fact that the department became the home of Wayne State University’s Masters of Public Health Program. The DFMPHS has matured into a scholarly department with an ever-increasing number of associate and full professors and a growing portfolio of research, scholarship, teaching, and academic service.
In 2010, Dr. Schenk was promoted to Vice Dean for Medical Education at the School of Medicine. Kendra Schwartz, MD, MSPH, currently serves as Interim Chair. Upon her appointment, School of Medicine Dean Valerie Parisi commented: “Dr. Schwartz has excelled over the years in the areas of undergraduate medical education, and now spends most of her time devoted to research in racial and socioeconomic disparities in primary care and cancer outcomes,” Dean Parisi said. “She has also worked diligently as a section leader on our Clinical Translational Science Award proposal. Most importantly, Dr. Schwartz has the respect and admiration of her faculty and staff colleagues across our campus. I know that she is dedicated to moving the department and the School of Medicine forward.”
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History