Friday, October 11, 2024

Furr elected board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians

Steven P. Furr, M.D.
Steven P. Furr, M.D., an alumnus and trustee of the University of South Alabama and a 1981 graduate of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, was elected board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). 

The AAFP represents 130,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. As AAFP president, Furr advocates on behalf of family physicians and patients to inspire positive change in the U.S. healthcare system.

A family physician in Jackson, Alabama, Furr is the co-founder of Family Medical Clinic of Jackson where he also serves on the staff of a rural hospital and as medical director of the nursing home. Furr has cared for patients for 40 years, including obstetrics care for more than 25 years. He is a certified medical director.

Furr has been active in several medical societies at the state level, serving as president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and the Alabama Medical Directors Association. He served as the chair of the Alabama delegation to the American Medical Association. Furr served 11 years on the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners and eight years on the Alabama State Committee of Public Health.

A member of the AAFP since 1981, Furr served as an Alabama delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates and has chaired reference committees on Advocacy and Health of the Public and Science. He was also a member and chair of the Commission on Continuing Professional Development. At the chapter level, Furr has held various leadership roles in the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians, including chapter president and chairman of the board. 

Throughout his career, Furr has been recognized with several honors and awards. He was inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2014, he received the University of South Alabama National Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition, he was given the 2018 Paul W. Burleson award in recognition of faithful and meritorious service to the profession of medicine by the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. In 2023, Furr was honored by the Whiddon College of Medicine by receiving the 50 People of Influence Award, which recognized individuals who significantly impacted the college during its 50-year history.

He continues to serve as a trustee of the University of South Alabama and as a member of the Health Affairs Committee and the Health Credentialing Board Committee. He was given the title of chair pro tempore emeritus in 2016 by his fellow trustees.

Furr is an adjunct assistant professor of family medicine at the Whiddon College of Medicine and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Family, Internal and Rural Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine College of Community Health Sciences in Tuscaloosa. He also acts as a volunteer instructor in the clinical Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.

Furr earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from USA and a medical degree from the Whiddon College of Medicine. He completed his residency in family practice at the University of Alabama Huntsville. 

He 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.