The Georgia Healthy Family Alliance (GHFA) welcomed two new members to the Alliance Board of Trustees in 2022. Christina Kelly, MD, FAAFP of Fort Benning joined the GHFA Board for a four-year term and Dr. Alexandria Poitier of Atlanta was elected to serve a two-year term as a Resident board member.
Originally from Akron, OH, Dr. Christina Kelly was awarded her medical degree by the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. As an Army wife, Dr. Kelly has worked in various other settings – as an employed physician practicing full-scope family medicine including obstetrics, and as faculty at family medicine residency programs in Washington, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. Currently, Dr. Kelly serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Having presented Tar Wars for the first time in 2003, Dr. Kelly has been active with the AAFP and the AAFP Foundation throughout her career and looks forward to continuing her advocacy work while serving on the GHFA Board. “Watching the videos where patients told their stories about how they were helped through the Community Health Grant Program showed me what a great service GHFA is to the state and how important this work is,” Dr. Kelly said.
New Resident board member and Florida native, Dr. Alexandria Poitier earned her medical degree from the University of Miami. She is currently a PGY1 Resident at Morehouse Family Medicine Residency Program where she serves on the Program Evaluation Committee.
As a GHFA Resident board member, Dr. Poitier looks forward to sharing information about Alliance programs with her peers. “Participating on the GHFA Board allows me another opportunity to engage in projects to improve health literacy and decrease barriers to accessing care for vulnerable populations,” Dr. Poitier said.
GHFA board members help guide and oversee Alliance projects including the Community Health and Immediate Needs Grant Programs and the Tar Wars vaping and smoking prevention program. GHFA also currently has three Tar Wars Strike Force Initiatives underway in Rome, Gainesville and Savannah to address the epidemic of youth vaping in those communities. Plans are currently underway to launch a middle Georgia Strike Force in Macon this year.
Formerly the Foundation of the GAFP, the Alliance was founded in 1987 and is the philanthropic arm of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians. The mission of the Alliance is to enhance the well-being of Georgia citizens through educational and community programs that promote healthy practices consistent with the principles of family medicine.
To learn more about your Foundation visit www.georgiahealthyfamilyalliance.org.