MEMBER VOICES: New TAFP task force prioritizing physician well-being

Family physicians spend their careers caring for others, but who cares for the family physician? This question helped inspire the creation of TAFP’s new Physician Well-Being Task Force and continues to drive our work to make physician well-being a priority for family physicians across Texas.

The task force began when Jessica Glick, DO, our founding chair, was inspired by her experience participating in AAFP’s Leading Physician Well-Being Scholars program. The knowledge and skills gained through the program sparked a vision to bring this mission to Texas, and TAFP’s Council on Workforce and Member Engagement leadership approved the creation of a new task force. Now, more than 20 TAFP members, including scholars from the AAFP program and other members passionate about physician well-being, are ready to serve on the Physician Well-Being Task Force. Together, we bring a wealth of expertise, dedication, and commitment to making physician well-being an integral and lasting part of TAFP.

Cultivating the well-being of family physicians is one of the most important investments we can make in the future of our profession. Physicians today are practicing in an environment of increasing complexity, competing demands, administrative burdens, workforce challenges, and ever-growing expectations. Family physicians give so much of themselves to their patients, their teams, and their communities. Yet, too often, the well-being of the physician is placed last. Supporting physicians must be viewed not as an additional initiative, but as an essential investment in the sustainability of our profession and the health of the patients and communities we serve.

What makes this task force unique is that our work is member-driven. We are not developing initiatives based solely on what we think physicians need. Instead, we are listening directly to our members and using their experiences to shape our priorities. The first well-being survey conducted in 2025 provided valuable insight into what TAFP members are experiencing, what challenges they are facing, and where they believe additional support is needed. Those findings help guide the initiatives and resources we are developing and will continue to serve as the foundation for our work moving forward.

In other words, this truly is by members, for members.

We recognize that there is no single definition of well-being and no one solution that will work for every physician. The needs of a resident may differ from those of an early-career physician, a physician in mid-career, or someone preparing for retirement. Similarly, the experience of a physician practicing in a rural community may be very different from that of someone working in an academic center, private practice, community health center, or hospital-based setting. Our goal is to recognize and learn from these differences rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach.

The task force focuses on creating opportunities for connection, education, support, advocacy, and meaningful change. While individual well-being strategies have an important role, we also recognize that physician well-being cannot rest solely on an individual’s ability to be more resilient. We must also consider the systems and environments in which physicians practice and work together to identify ways to make those environments healthier and more sustainable. You will soon begin to see our work in TAFP’s News Now, on TAFP social media, and on TAFP’s well-being homepage. And don’t forget that AAFP also has a physician well-being hub on their site.

We know that the most important work happens when we listen. The survey provided an important starting point, but it is only one part of the conversation. We want to continue hearing from TAFP members across Texas. We invite our members to continue sharing their experiences, ideas, challenges and needs with us. Together, we can strengthen the well-being of Texas family physicians and, in doing so, strengthen the future of family medicine and the communities we serve.

We welcome your input, feedback, and ideas as we continue this important work. Please feel free to contact the task force directly at tafpwellbeing@gmail.com and share your thoughts with us! 

Christine Camacho, MD, FAAFP, is a dual board-certified physician in family medicine and obesity medicine practicing in San Antonio, Texas. She serves as an associate professor at UT Health San Antonio and core faculty for the family medicine residency program. Passionate about physician well-being and fostering a culture of wellness in medicine, she is recognized as an AAFP Leading Physician Well-Being Scholar and serves as a member of the TAFP Well-Being Task Force.