Term: July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024
Interview by Emie Buege, MAFP Communications & Marketing
On July 1, 2023, Bob Jeske, MD, became the seventy-seventh president of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP). His term runs through June 30, 2024.
Jeske has been a practicing family physician for more than 10 years. He currently serves as core faculty at the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency – Mankato, where he holds an assistant professor appointment in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and serves as medical director for Whispering Creek skilled care and rehabilitation facility in Janesville, Minnesota. In 2021, he received the Mayo Clinic Health System Southwest Minnesota Region Physician Service Excellence Award.
He has been an active member of the MAFP since 2012, serving in a variety of leadership and advocacy roles, most recently as vice speaker of the house, speaker of the house and president elect.
Prior to his teaching role at Mayo Clinic in Mankato, Jeske was a rural family physician in the communities of Wabasha and Waseca, Minnesota. He is also an alumnus of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency – La Crosse.
Jeske grew up on a farm near Springfield, Minnesota, and now lives in Waseca with his wife Katie (who is a registered nurse) and three active boys. Outside of medicine, Jeske can be found supporting and helping coach his sons in their sports and activities, being active in his church’s youth ministries and running and operating the family farm with his brother.
2023 Ten State conference
We asked President Jeske to share more of his background and about his plans for his term.
WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR YOUR TIME AS MAFP PRESIDENT?
Jeske: I don’t view this upcoming year as a time for my vision, but rather as my opportunity as a servant leader to advance our collective vision.
I’ve heard from members that you want the Academy to continue to:
- Address administrative complexity.
- Advance social justice.
- Increase pathways to becoming a family physician.
- Strengthen public health.
- Work toward equitable access to health care for all.
Through my years of involvement with the MAFP, I’ve experienced the strength of our collective voice and genuine desire to help change things for the better for both us and our patients—that’s why I continue to be involved and look forward to helping us keep moving in that [better] direction.
WHAT ROLES HAVE YOU HELD WITH THE ACADEMY?
Jeske: I first became involved with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) after attending the National Conference on a scholarship from the Florida Academy of Family Physicians following my first year of medical school. And the rest, as they say, is history.
I’ve been involved with my state chapters and the AAFP ever since, holding various positions throughout the years. I was both a regional and national coordinator for the AAFP Family Medicine Interest Group during medical school, and then had the opportunity to serve on AAFP commissions during residency.
With the MAFP, I first got involved on the Academic Affairs Committee and with my local chapter, where I have served as Southern Chapter President and a delegate to the MAFP House of Delegates. In recent years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the MAFP Board of Directors, as vice speaker of the house, speaker of the house and president elect.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE MAFP IS OF VALUE TO ITS MEMBERS?
Jeske: First of all, you get to connect with really cool, passionate people who happen to be family doctors! Second, the MAFP is our collective voice, representing more than 3,100 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students across Minnesota, advocating for changes that will help improve our lives and the lives of our patients.
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE MAFP HAS ROOM TO GROW?
Jeske: At the MAFP, we strive to bring value to our members in all we do. We are continuing to work to adapt to member continuing medical education (CME) needs with offerings that are timely and convenient (like online ECHOs). We also hear how important advocacy is to our members, and we are working on increasing our presence and influence at the Capitol and with our elected officials.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU SEE FACING FAMILY MEDICINE?
Jeske:
- Scope of practice issues have and will continue to be an issue for family medicine.
- Pathways to an increased family physician workforce go hand in hand with scope of practice issues, as we see an increased shortage of primary care doctors to care for an aging population.
- Administrative complexity/burden is something that continues to plague us on a daily basis.
WHAT DO YOU WANT MEMBERS TO KNOW ABOUT PHYSICIAN ADVOCACY?
Jeske: Your voice and your involvement matters. Whatever ways or time you have to give, we can use your unique skills and perspective at the table.
Even though we can’t fix everything overnight, as a group, we can continue to move the needle in the right direction.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE FAMILY MEDICINE?
Jeske: Growing up on a farm in southwest Minnesota, my only exposure to medicine was rural family medicine. I came to know that family medicine was my life’s work through my experiences and relationship with my own family doctor, who became my mentor in high school.
After initially practicing rural family medicine, I realized I missed learning in an academic environment and that I could touch more lives by helping teach and train the next generation of family doctors. From there, I made the shift from rural family medicine to academic family medicine.
The MAFP is governed by an 18-member board of directors. Directors and officers are elected annually at our House of Delegates, the policy-setting body of the Academy. Find more leaders on our website at mafp.org/leaders.
