July 31, 2025
Photo by Hanna Caldwell
The University of Missouri School of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Established in 1975 as one of the country’s first academic family medicine departments, Mizzou faculty and graduates have conducted groundbreaking research, developed innovative teaching methods, advocated for health policy reforms and provided compassionate care to countless patients.
Prior to the department’s official launch, Sherwood Baker is credited with creating the School of Medicine’s Family Practice Residency Program in 1970. Beginning with a class of 10 residents each year, individuals would split time between clinics in Columbia, Missouri, and Fulton, Missouri, offering experience both on Mizzou’s main campus and in a rural community.
Faculty, staff and alumni representing the five decades of Mizzou Family and Community Medicine recently celebrated the department’s legacy and achievements. Current faculty members gave informative presentations to attendees, followed by curated tours throughout Mizzou’s campus.
A highlight of the weekend’s festivities included a commemorative bench dedication to Jack Colwill, professor emeritus and founding chair of Mizzou Family Medicine. Under Colwill’s 21 years of leadership, the department developed into a national leader in education and research.
“As I reflect on the department’s accomplishments, much depended upon the successful culture created by faculty and the more than 500 residency graduates,” Colwill said. “We all shared common goals, recruited exceptional individuals, and focused on issues important to the discipline, to the practice, to the Mizzou School of Medicine and to the state of Missouri.”
Last year, Richelle Koopman, was named the fifth chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She joins former departments chairs Colwill (1976-97), Harold Williamson (1998-2008), Steven Zweig (2008-18) and Michael LeFevre (2019-24).
As Koopman reflects on her tenure at Mizzou, beginning as a faculty member in 2007, she’s grateful to be a part of a storied department and is looking forward to the future of Family Medicine.
“I’ve heard many describe Mizzou Family Medicine as a ‘magical place’ and I’ve personally never seen so many people align together for a common goal,” Koopman said. “We all know that to be a national leader among departments of family medicine, we need all of our mission areas to be excellent and celebrate each other.”
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