July 2024 member spotlight
Edward T. Bope, MD
Chair, Senior Physicians Section Governing Council
Leadership positions:
- Former chair, American Board of Family Medicine
- Former chair, Family Medicine Residency Review Committee
- Former president, Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors
- Former president, Columbus Medical Association
- Former president, Columbus Medical Association Foundation
Specialty: Family medicine
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Current position: Deputy chief of staff, Columbus Veterans Affairs
I am a senior family physician focusing on palliative care while serving as the deputy chief of staff at the Columbus VA Clinic. I am proud to be chair of the Governing Council of the AMA Senior Physicians Section for the 2024-2025 year.
For the main portion of my career, I served as director of the Family Medicine Residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus where I started many innovative educational programs while championing patient care in the family medicine/medical home model. I have always enjoyed leadership positions in family medicine but am most proud of my work with residents and students, and service to the community, including being considered the founder of the Physician's Free Clinic, a subsidiary of the Columbus Medical Association.
Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?
A: My father was a family doctor in a 1,300-person rural town in Southeastern Ohio where the glacier ended, and the Appalachian hills started to roll. Office hours were 7 days a week and we served as the answering service since patients called directly to physicians’ homes after office hours as there was no answering service, voice mail, pagers or cell phones.
The role I saw for the family doctor was to solve problems, help patients and influence the community. It seemed appealing to me and though I understood the demands, I could see the rewards firsthand. I learned to drive while taking Dad on house calls and saw the usefulness of that delivery model in caring for a community. Through medical school, I was able to stay steady on my goal to be a family doctor and for me it was the best choice.
Q: What is the aspect of work that means the most to you?
A: The relationship with patients, coworkers and the community is the thing that feeds me. To be honest, I am not very good at teleworking! I like being with people and working in the clinical environment. I enjoy “reading the room,” a skill a family doctor uses at least 30 times a day. Knowing people beyond the introductions at a Teams meeting adds tremendously to my sense of well-being and encourages me to share myself with others.
Generational relationships are another feature of family medicine that keeps my fires burning. I think all specialties of medicine enjoy seeing a relative of someone we are caring for or saw in the past.
In the end though, helping people solve not only complex problems but everyday issues at a sometimes very personal level is a privilege. A profession is work that requires some sacrifice but also has some privilege like the one I just mentioned. I have no doubt that I made the right decision about medicine and family medicine.
Q: What advice would you give those interested in pursuing a career in medicine?
A: I would say “do it” and then I would help them prepare for the journey. Being a good student seems to be first to consider since admission is so competitive and there is the realistic goal of keeping up with information assimilation. Next would be the suggestion to follow your heart as well as your brain and wallet. It is not wrong to consider the economic picture of your future and specialty choice, but it is also not wrong to spend your life doing the things that you love and caring for the people to whom you are devoted.
Stay open minded and learn as much as you can because the practice of medicine calls on you to be a significant resource of information. You will be a scientist and should behave like one with honesty and integrity. Finally, when you achieve your goal spend time reflecting on the journey and who you are. Practice and live so that you are always proud.
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