Family and Community Medicine celebrates 50th anniversary

July 17, 2025

Family and Community Medicine 50th anniversary collage image

The University of Missouri School of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025. Established in 1975 as one of the country’s first academic Family Medicine departments, Mizzou faculty and graduates have conducted groundbreaking research, developed innovative teaching methods, advocated for health policy reforms and provided compassionate care to countless patients.

Prior to the department’s official launch, Sherwood Baker, MD, is credited with creating the School of Medicine’s Family Practice Residency Program in 1970. Beginning with a class of 10 residents each year, individuals would split time between clinics in Columbia, Missouri, and Fulton, Missouri, offering experience both on Mizzou’s main campus and in a rural community.

Faculty, staff and residents from 1975 as Mizzou launched its new Department of Family and Community Medicine

Faculty, staff and alumni representing the five decades of Mizzou Family and Community Medicine recently celebrated the department’s legacy and achievements. Current faculty members gave informative presentations to attendees, followed by curated tours throughout Mizzou’s campus.

A highlight of the weekend’s festivities included a commemorative bench dedication to Jack Colwill, MD, professor emeritus and founding chair of Mizzou Family Medicine. Under Dr. Colwill’s 21 years of leadership, the department developed into a national leader in education and research.

Mizzou Family and Community Medicine staff group photo on the commemorative bench — Front row (L-R): Michael LeFevre (FCM chair, 2019-24), Jack Colwill (FCM chair, 1976-97) and Jerry Kruse (Class of 1982).
Back row (L-R): Donald Schnurpfeil (Class of 1982), Betsy Garrett (professor emeritus) and Steven Zweig (FCM chair, 2008-18).

“As I reflect on the department’s accomplishments, much depended upon the successful culture created by faculty and the more than 500 residency graduates,” said Colwill. “We all shared common goals, recruited exceptional individuals, and focused on issues important to the discipline, to the practice, to the Mizzou School of Medicine and to the state of Missouri.”

Jack Colwill, MD commemorative bench — Jack Colwill, MD, the founding chair of Mizzou’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, was recognized recently with a commemorative bench dedication. Dr. Colwill has been an active member and contributor throughout the department’s 50 years of operation.

In 2024, Richelle Koopman, MD, was named the fifth chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She joins former departments chairs Dr. Colwill (1976-97), Harold Williamson, MD (1998-2008), Steven Zweig, MD (2008-18) and Michael LeFevre, MD (2019-24).

As Dr. Koopman reflects on her tenure at Mizzou, beginning as a faculty member in 2007, she’s grateful to be a part of a storied department and is looking forward to the future of Family Medicine.

“I’ve heard many describe Mizzou Family Medicine as a ‘magical place’ and I’ve personally never seen so many people align together for a common goal,” said Koopman. “We all know that to be a national leader among departments of family medicine, we need all of our mission areas to be excellent and celebrate each other.”

“As a leader, I think a lot about the external pressures shaping the future of medicine – private equity, consolidation, trends in payer markets, government regulation, physician shortages and technology advancement such as AI. In facing these pressures, we must continue to acclimate in ways that uphold our core values – our relationships with patients, our commitment to learners and our passion for discovery.”