Dr. Christie Alexander, a 2015 Faculty Development Fellowship graduate, gave the 2023 Annual Jane Arndt Lecture, presenting, “From Big City to the Border: A Journey of Courage, Discomfort, and Fortitude,” about her decision to leave her faculty position at Florida State University and move to serve a rural community in Marfa, Texas. Alexander is a family physician and the medical director of the Marfa Country Clinic. She was in the inaugural class of the Florida State University College of Medicine – one of the 27 pioneers who graduated in 2005 from the first medical school to open in the U.S. in two decades.
As Associate Professor in the FSU Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, she served as Clinical Skills Course Director and faculty advisor for FMIG, FSUCares, and the Chapman Community Health Program. She also served on numerous committees, became chair of the FSU Medical Alumni Board, and is a member of the College of Medicine’s Alumni Hall of Fame. She became the president of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians right before the start of the pandemic. In her role as President, she was a regular contributor to legislative conversations at the Florida Capitol and in Washington, D.C., and was a medical correspondent for multiple media outlets, including local, state, and national news, the BBC, NPR, USA Today, and Oprahmagazine.com. In 2021, Dr. Alexander began a new journey running a 4,000-patient, privately owned clinic near the Mexican border, where she continues to live the FSU College of Medicine mission to practice patient-centered health care, discover and advance knowledge, and be responsive to community needs, especially through service to elder, rural, minority, and underserved populations.
Photo: Dr. Alexander (middle) with Faculty Development Fellowship Director Tommy Koonce, MD, MPH, and Associate Director of Medical Programs Dawn Morriston, MPH.
Make sure to SAVE THE DATE for our next Fellowship Alumni Event and Jane Arndt Lecture, June 6-8, 2024!