IAFP 2020 Board Installation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2020
Contact:  Ginnie Flynn, Vice President of Communications, [email protected] or 630-427-8004

Rush Family Physician Installed as President of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians

 (CHICAGO) – As associations continue to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians is no exception.  What was scheduled as a live event and reception pivoted to a virtual board of directors’ installation and awards ceremony hosted online and livestreamed to YouTube.

Michael Hanak, MD, FAAFP was installed as President of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians from the board room at Rush University Medical Center on October 14.  Performing the honors from her home in Pennsylvania was American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Past President Wanda Filer, MD, MBA, FAAFP, who Dr. Hanak met early in his family medicine leadership journey.

“I met her a number of years ago at one of my very first national meetings out of residency.  I sat down and she introduced herself, asked about my work, my goals, and offered to help wherever she could.  The next year I ran into her again and she immediately remembered our conversation and said hello, which is the beauty of this organization,” said Hanak.  “I’m so grateful that she was able to officially install me as president of our state chapter.”  

Michael Hanak, MD, FAAFP is Associate Professor and Vice Chairperson for Clinical Programs in the Department of Family Medicine at Rush University.  As chair of the quality committee for the medical group, he has led efforts to achieve nationally ranked performance in key areas of clinical quality.  He currently serves as Associate Chief Medical Officer for Population Health, leading several projects supporting health equity and value-based care. 

“Serving on the front lines of health care, particularly as a trusted family physician, is a privilege.  The breadth of our specialty requires deep knowledge but opens doors to all kinds of roles, both clinical and non-clinical.  What I love about the Academy is that it seeks to strengthen our work across multiple domains to improve the quality of care we provide – while also ensuring we advocate for our patients,” said Hanak.

He has served on the IAFP board of directors since 2013, starting as the New Physician board member.  He’s given numerous presentations for the Academy, especially on Health Equity and disparities in health outcomes across socio-economic factors. In 2020 as the president-elect, he served as Interim President for three months while current president Monica Fudala, MD was on leave. 

Since 2016 he has served on the American Academy of Family Physicians delegation to the American Medical Association, including as the delegation vice-chair in 2018. He also served on the AAFP’s Commission on Membership and Member Services.

“There is no denying that coronavirus has laid bare the inequities and deficiencies of our healthcare system,” Hanak said in his speech. “And while it’s frustrating to have known about these challenges for much longer than this pandemic, I’m inspired by the way our profession has always been at the forefront of public health, advocating for positive change.”

Dr. Hanak graduated from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and completed his family medicine residency training at Advocate Illinois Masonic Family Medicine Residency in Chicago. He is also the team primary care physician for the Joffrey Ballet.  Outside of work you will find him doing something fun with his wife and his 3-year-old and 5- year-old daughters.

Other newly elected IAFP Board members installed by Dr. Filer are

President elect - Dr. Tabatha Wells of Mahomet

First Vice President - Dr. Timothy Ott of Quincy

Second Vice President - Dr. Emma Daisy of Chicago

Re-elected as Delegate to the AAFP - Dr. Asim Jaffer of Peoria

Alternate Delegate - Dr. Deborah Edberg of Chicago

Class of 2023 Board members - Dr. Noorain Akhtar from Wilmette, Dr. Brandyn Mason from Urbana and Dr. Christina Wells from Bolingbrook. 

New Physician Board member class of 2022 - Dr. Avinash Mantha from Des Plaines.

Treasurer - Dr. Corinne Kohler of Champaign

Dr. Syed Mustafa Alavi will join the board in an ex-officio role as the official IAFP Observer for the AAFP Congress of Delegates in 2021. 

Resident board member Dr. Audrey Hertenstein Perez from West Suburban Hospital Residency Program in Oak Park

Student Board member Laura Hurley from Rush Medical College.

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Founded in 1947, The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is a professional medical society dedicated to maintaining high standards of family medicine representing nearly 5,000 family physicians, residents and medical students. IAFP provides continuing medical education (CME) programming, advocacy through all levels of government and opportunities for member engagement and interaction.