The MSU Department of Family Medicine was ranked seventh in the nation by the American Academy of Family Physicians. The award is given based on schools that have the greatest percentage of graduates who choose family medicine as a career path.

More than 16 percent of students in MSU's College of Human Medicine choose the family medicine field. University of Kansas School of Medicine ranked first as 21.7 percent of its graduates chose a career in family medicine.

In addition, the department's Family Medicine Clinic was awarded the 2006 Governor's Award for Excellence for Improving Care in the Ambulatory Setting by the state of Michigan for its dedication to quality patient care. It is the first time an MSU HealthTeam clinic has earned this honor. The clinic was recognized for its efforts to improve care for diabetes, preventative care and cancer screening patients.

The clinic is part of approximately 190 physicians from 14 clinical departments and other health professionals such as nurses, psychologists and social workers. The clinic will be renamed the MSU Family Health Center on July 1 to showcase the collaborative efforts of physicians from the Department of Family Medicine and family nurse practitioners from the College of Nursing.