After graduating from The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 1978, Dr. Gordon Moshman completed his residency in Family Medicine. As a Public Health Service Scholarship recipient, he was assigned to a physician shortage area in the northern Rocky Mountains. Dr. Moshman was the only physician for that community of 2300 people for the next four-and-a-half years. He relied on what he learned during medical school, capitalizing on his communication skills and physical exam techniques to become a truly exemplary primary care physician. He then moved to rural Nebraska, where he has practiced since. In his own words,
"There is the satisfaction of making the correct diagnosis, seeing the patient through a difficult time, providing support and counseling, assisting in navigating our fragmented health care system, and the honor of being an integral and trusted component of a system that often works well and brings the best out of all concerned."
In 2015, Dr. Moshman decided he wanted to give back to GW SMHS. After careful consideration, he decided to create a fund for the GW Primary Care Residency with instructions for the program director to use this money to "enrich the training and educational experience for primary care residents." He has spent his entire career in primary care and knows firsthand what a hard and rewarding profession this is.
During the ambulatory year, which spans from January of the PGY 2 year through December of the PGY3 year, our primary care residents rotate through each of the medical and surgical ambulatory clinics, as well as manage their own panel of primary care patients in clinic four sessions a week. Dr. Moshman's fund provides the opportunity for primary care residents to complete a 1-2 week rural elective and to attend the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) national meeting during their ambulatory year. In addition, Dr. Moshman's fund enabled the residents to attend SGIM Hill Day and to buy supplies for a "home visit bag" that they use during their ambulatory year. Dr. Moshman even supported our Primary Care 40th anniversary celebration in 2017!
Finally, Dr. Moshman created a funded award for the Primary Care Resident of the Year which is presented during the Department of Medicine end-of-the-year party, highlighting the importance of primary care alongside our other departmental awards. Past recipients include:
2016 Emily Lo, MD 2017 Sara Pike, MD 2018 Samantha Ober MD
We are so grateful for Dr. Moshman's generous spirit and willingness to support those training in the field that he loves so much.
Primary care program director Dr. April Barbour (left) with primary care residents (from left to right) Dr. Tina Chee, Dr. Caitlin Biedron, Dr. Meghana Bhatta, Dr. Sara Pike, and Dr. Betsy Kidder at SGIM Hill Day.