STFM Member Shou Ling Leong, MD is the assistant dean for Pathways Innovation and associate vice chair of Education at the Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Shou Ling has been an active member of STFM for 22 years.

Shou Ling's Story

by Shou Ling Leong, MD

From building clerkships to creating new innovative programs, everything accomplished in my academic career has been connected in some way to STFM, an organization that enables talented, dedicated, like-minded educators to come together to learn, collaborate, and make a difference in medical education and the health of our nation.

The STFM Faculty Enhancement Award I received in 1997 provided opportunities for mentorship and collaboration, leading to presentations and publications. More importantly, it ignited my interest in medical education. As chair of the Group on Online Cases, I led the development of virtual patient cases as tools for teaching medical students the STFM National Clerkship Curriculum. As the founding editor-in-chief, I worked with more than 100 STFM members in creating fmCASES (now Aquifer Family Medicine) which are used by 95% of medical schools. My service as Group-On/Collaborative Chair and STFM Foundation Trustee has allowed me to sharpen my leadership and administrative skills. STFM colleagues provide helpful advice and support, and it is extremely gratifying to see that collectively we make all of this possible.   

Paying It Forward: STFM is a leading-edge organization with the right vision and mission to support health care accessibility for all. Training our next generation of healers requires not only educators, but also leaders. My first major donation to the STFM Foundation was inspired by earlier fund-raising efforts to develop family medicine leadership, including the Bishop Fellowship. Now we have family physicians serving as deans of medical schools across the country. Other initiatives, such as New Faculty Scholars, Faculty for Tomorrow, and underrepresented in medicine programs, are equally impactful. We must fund what we believe in, as a healthy tomorrow requires financial support today. I am proud to be a member of the Light the Torch Club.

Light the Torch: Transforming the future of family medicine would not be possible without the generosity of Shou Ling Leong and countless other STFM members and supporters. Through the Light the Torch Club and other donations, the STFM Foundation supports STFM's priority to develop the pipeline for academic family medicine. 

To learn more, click the button below, or contact Mindy Householder at mhouseholder@stfm.org or 800.274.7928.