Laurel Case Lectures
2022 Lecture: The Value Proposition for Physician Wellness in Family Medicine
Margot Savoy, M.D., M.P.H.
This presentation establishes the value proposition for intentionally addressing physician wellness in Family Medicine. This is critically important given the critical nature of family medicine in proving primary care services that meet the health needs at the national and community level. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a strain on primary care and family physician practices by raising rates of burnout out and challenging even the most resilient physicians' ability to recover from the moral injury and stressors in and outside of work. While these challenges exist they can serve as opportunities for systems and their leaders to intentionally invest in sustainable family medicine (and primary care) strategies that will improve physician wellness, patient care outcomes and overall community health.
Learning objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:
- Re-affirm the value of family medicine in meeting the health needs at the national and community level.
- Acknowledge the strain of COVID-19 on the mental and physical well-being of the primary care workforce.
- Identify opportunities where strategic investment in family medicine (and primary care) could improve physician wellness, patient care outcomes and overall community health.
Speaker bio

Dr. Savoy earned her Bachelor of Science degree in neurobiology and physiology from the University of Maryland in College Park. She earned her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. She completed her Master of Public Health at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Public Health in Chapel Hill. She completed her residency at the Crozer Keystone Family Medicine Residency in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Savoy completed postdoctoral fellowships in vaccine science with the American Academy of Family Physicians, geriatric interdisciplinary care at Thomas Jefferson University and in health information technology with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
She is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and has the AAFP Degree of Fellow, an earned degree awarded to family physicians for distinguished service and continuing medical education. She currently serves as AAFP's senior vice president for education.
More information
The Laurel Case Visiting Professor spends several days as a guest of our department, interacting with clinical faculty, research team and residents of our discipline and other departments.
Laurel G. Case, M.D. was the founding chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at OHSU, leaving a 16 year private practice in the Medford, OR in 1971 when requested to accept the leadership of Family Medicine education in Oregon.
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