Dr. Enjoli Benitez, a staff physician at Vecino Health Centers, was recently honored with a 2017 New Faculty Scholar award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM). She is one of ten academic family practitioners nationwide to receive the award .
This honor is a catalyst for developing future leaders in academic family medicine. In addition to presenting during a session at STFM’s spring conference, honorees gain valuable mentorship and opportunities to further their leadership in the field.
“It’s about trying to govern your own pathway as an academic and discovering what impact you could potentially have on the larger field of academic medicine,” Dr. Benitez says of the award.
The country is facing a shortage of primary care physicians, particularly in southern states, which makes empowering new leaders in the field, through initiatives like the New Faculty Scholar award, even more important.
“Texas needs more doctors and teachers like Dr. Benitez,” said Daniel Montez, CEO of Vecino Health Centers. “Her work with patients and residents is helping address a critical shortage of family practice physicians — one of most important positions in healthcare.”
Dr. Benitez is a staff physician at Vecino’s Denver Harbor Family Clinic and faculty member for Houston Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program. Of her choice to enter family medicine, she says: “I always wanted to be in a field that had a little of everything and could reach all types of people. It doesn’t limit what you can learn and what you can do to help someone.”