Initiative brings together national leaders to address the challenges of and strengthen the family medicine workforce.

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Resident Matching Program^® (NRMP^®) has convened a national Blue Ribbon Panel to explore opportunities to strengthen the future of family medicine. Blue Ribbon Panels bring subject matter experts together to collectively investigate and identify solutions to critical industry needs. 

On April 1, an invited panel of leaders in family medicine met with NRMP leadership in Washington, DC to begin building a framework for the initiative. Discussions ranged across a variety of topics, including academic and social drivers affecting applicant interest in family medicine, real and perceived barriers entering training and practice, modernizing applicant engagement and recruitment efforts, the impact of more recent initiatives in recruitment, and workforce needs in the long- and short-term. In addition to the core Panel members, other stakeholders will be invited to serve in advisory capacities to support the Panel's deliberations and development of reports. The initiative is expected to extend over the next 12 – 18 months.

"Family medicine plays a vital role in ensuring access to care for communities across the country," said NRMP President and CEO Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN. "The NRMP is enthusiastic about this unique opportunity to bring stakeholders together, work closely with the organizations supporting family medicine, foster alignment around a number of shared priorities, and to identify recommendations and potential solutions that promote a re-investment in the family medicine workforce."

The Panel's work will reflect diverse perspectives across the undergraduate and graduate medical education communities and offer actionable recommendations to applicants, medical schools, and institutions.

"The needs of patients continue to evolve and access to primary care is a challenge for many. As such, it is critical that the medical education community work to better align the needs and interests of the next generation of physicians with the communities in which they will serve," said Deborah Clements, MD, Immediate Past Chair of the NRMP Board of Directors and Chair of Family and Community Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Convening this Blue-Ribbon Panel offers a blueprint not only for family medicine but for all specialties to examine their physician pathways and think critically and strategically about future growth. I look forward to Dr. Lamb's stewardship and what the Panel will learn and share to benefit the medical education community and the patients we serve."

This initiative reflects NRMP's continued commitment to supporting transparency, data-driven insights, and collaboration across the medical education continuum. With stakeholders aligned around shared goals, the Blue-Ribbon Panel will be well-positioned to develop purposeful, solution-driven interventions that increase and sustain a robust pool of young physicians interested in and committed to a future in family medicine.

About NRMP

The National Resident Matching Program^® (NRMP^®) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1953 at the request of medical students to provide an orderly and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors. In addition to the annual Main Residency Match^® that facilitates placement for more than 50,000 registrants, the NRMP conducts Fellowship Matches through its Specialties Matching Service^® (SMS^®). The first SMS Fellowship Match was conducted in 1984 for Colon and Rectal Surgery. Since that time, the SMS has grown to encompass 23 separate Matches representing more than 75 subspecialties. The NRMP website provides a list of participating SMS Fellowship Matches, each including a summary statement, length of training, and applicant eligibility criteria.

For additional information or to schedule an interview with NRMP President and CEO Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN, contact media@nrmp.org.

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SOURCE National Resident Matching Program