FMX 2025: American Academy of Family Physicians Main Stage Speakers

The Main Stage at the American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP) annual Family Medicine Experience (FMX) conference features marquee afternoon sessions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday designed to engage the full audience and highlight key developments in family medicine. The presentations showcase nationally recognized speakers, including AAFP leaders and thought leaders, who provide both strategic insight and practical guidance for clinicians. The Main Stage also features high-profile, CME-eligible sessions, such as the annual “Top 10 Evidence‑Based Medicine Updates,” making it a central component of FMX’s educational and motivational program. Here is the 2025 FMX Main Stage lineup followed by brief bios for 3 speakers.

Monday – Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA: Monday’s Main Stage kicks off with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, sharing insights on public health priorities and the evolving role of family medicine in addressing population health.

Tuesday – Natalie Stavas, MD: On Tuesday, Natalie Stavas, MD, highlights innovative approaches to caring for vulnerable populations, drawing on her work in child protection and community health.

”Wednesday – Frank Domino, MD: Wednesday’s Main Stage features Frank Domino, MD, presenting his annual ‘Top 10 Evidence-Based Medicine Updates,’ offering practical, high-impact insights for clinicians to apply in daily practice.

Vivek H Murthy, MD, MBA

Vivek H Murthy, MD, MBA served as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States and Vice Admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps until January 2025, where he oversaw more than 6,000 public health officers serving vulnerable communities across the country and abroad. First confirmed in 2014 as the 19th Surgeon General and reappointed in 2021, he has guided national responses to public health crises including Ebola, Zika, the opioid epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

As “America’s Doctor,” Murthy has focused on pressing contemporary issues such as mental health, stress, and loneliness. He issued landmark Surgeon General’s reports on addiction and on youth e-cigarette use. He has also championed efforts to expand access to prevention and treatment services and to frame addiction as a chronic illness rather than a moral failing.

Before his federal service, Dr. Murthy co-founded several organizations dedicated to health innovation, including VISIONS, a global HIV/AIDS education nonprofit; the Swasthya Project, which trained community health workers in rural India; and Doctors for America, a national physician advocacy group. He is also a practicing physician and educator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Natalie Stavas, MD

Natalie Stavas, MD, is the program director for child protection pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, where she specializes in caring for vulnerable children, victims of abuse, and reducing youth violence. Her research and teaching focus on protecting high-risk youth and supporting the next generation of physicians through mentorship and education.

Stavas came to national prominence during the 2013 Boston Marathon, when she ran toward the scene of the bombing to provide lifesaving medical care, and this was as she approached the marathon finish line as a competitor herself. For her actions, she was honored by President Barack Obama and named “Bostonian of the Year” by The Boston Globe.

Stavas has extended her advocacy through community programs such as Sole Train, which mentors inner-city youth through running, and Prescription for the Outdoors, which promotes children’s health through physical activity. She has also provided pediatric care in Haiti to help strengthen medical infrastructure. Her research has recently focused on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s health and well-being.

Frank J Domino, MD

Frank J Domino, MD, is professor and predoctoral education director for the department of family medicine and community health at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical School in Worcester, MA. He has been at UMass since 1996.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), 2024 marked Domino's 20th year presenting to the AAFP audience and his tenure delivering the meeting's annual Top 10 Updates in Evidence-Based Medicine spans 15 of those years.

Domino is editor in chief of Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins’ “5 Minute Clinical Consult” series and has recently completed a book on “Manual Medicine for Primary Care,” offering easy to use interventions all clinicians can implement in daily office practice.

He also hosts the Pri-Med “Frankly Speaking” Podcast, which features interviews with family physicians about practice-changing clinical research and covers patient-focused best practices in family medicine.

Domino’s areas of interest include making evidence-based medicine accessible, teaching, medical ethics, and the use of technology in clinical practice.