The FMEC inspires students to seek careers in family medicine. Medical students first attended the FMEC Annual Meeting in 1992, through an initiative started by Dr. Nik Zervanos. In 2024, the FMEC formally named the scholarship effort the Nik Zervanos, MD Student Scholarship Program. Read more about Dr. Zervanos below.  

Over the last 20 years, the FMEC has provided more than 7,000 scholarships. Students attending our meeting increase their interest in family medicine and primary care, get experience presenting posters, and often apply to family medicine residency programs they meet at the meeting’s Residency Fair.

A $500 donation supports one student scholarship, but donations of any amount are welcome.
Each scholarship includes:

• FMEC membership for one year
• Annual Meeting registration fee
• All conference-provided meals and breaks
• Two (2) nights in the hotel (double bedded room shared with another scholarship student)
• Admittance to Residency Fair and all academic programming
• One-on-one support from the FMEC Student Coordinator
• A pre-meeting orientation and Q&A session to prepare you for the meeting

The FMEC relies on the generosity of our members and institutions throughout the country to provide funds so we can bring 300 students to the meeting each year. Please donate today to support FMEC student scholarships – any amount is appreciated. 

 Thank you to our 2024 Annual Meeting Student Scholarship Donors

 Major Donors - ($2,500 and over)

 Donors

 

About Nik Zervanos, MD

Dr. Nikitas Zervanos is a retired family medicine physician
in Lancaster, PA and has over 61 years of experience in
the medical field.

Dr. Zervanos was a 1958 graduate of Albright College and matriculated from the Perlman School of Medicine, University of PA, in 1962. He completed a rotating internship at Lancaster General Hospital in 1963 and after serving as a general medical corps officer in the US Army for the next thirty months, commenced his residency in internal medicine at the Philadelphia VA Hospital and Hospital of the University of PA in March 1966 and a one-year fellowship in Harvard’s Family Health Care Program. Before commencing his duties in Lancaster in July 1969, he took advantage of the opportunity to consult with Dr. Joel Alpert, his chief, regarding the application process to expedite the approval of the residency program. With the full cooperation of the administration and key medical staff people, which included establishing both an urban hospital-based and a rural-based family practice center in Southern Lancaster County, the application was sent in record time to the AMA’s Residency Review Committee by late summer. A site visit was accomplished in September, and one month later approval was given to begin recruiting LGH’s first class to begin in July 1970. The applicants had to be made aware that we would not receive official approval until March, which thankfully came through. In 1973, LGH graduated its first class of five residents. In less than five years the program expanded to eight per year, and by 1980 to twelve, and by the year 1993, it was the largest program in Pennsylvania with 13 residents in each of three years.

Dr. Zervanos played a role in the formation of FMEC. A longtime supporter of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), he specifically raised the funds necessary to provide scholarships to medical students to attend the northeast regional meeting of the STFM (a predecessor to FMEC meetings) in 1992. This event took on the nickname of the “Happening in Lancaster.” This effort made the FMEC conference one of the first to unite medical school students with residents, directors and teaching faculty from Residency Programs.

 Dr. Zervanos has written extensively about his roots including Early Greek Immigrants of Lancaster County which was published by Lancaster County Historical Society. He has also finished a book about the History of Family Medicine.

Dr. Zervanos and his wife, Diana are the proud parents of John, husband of Tricia Zervanos, Susan, wife of Nico Veronis and James, husband of Vana Zervanos and six grandchildren. “We are now aging together.  We’re looking forward to the years with our children and grandchildren,” Diana said.