Dr. Dennis Gingrich, Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a family physician with Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine, has been named to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) board of directors. One of the largest medical organizations in the U.S., the AAFP represents 131,400 physicians and medical students nationwide. As an AAFP board member, Gingrich advocates on behalf of family physicians and patients to inspire positive change in the U.S. health care system.

“I am proud to be part of a team that works to improve the health of patients, families and communities throughout the country by empowering family physicians to expand their role in health care delivery,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich currently practices family medicine and teaches residents and students as a professor in both the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Humanities at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey. He has served more than 20 years on the medical school admissions committee and has spent more than 25 years organizing premedical programming and serving as an adviser to the college’s Family Medicine Interest Group. Prior to his academic practice, he was in community practice as a partner in the Permanente Medical Group in Los Angeles.

A member of the AAFP since 1979, Gingrich has served on the Pennsylvania delegation to the AAFP Congress of Delegates. At the state level, Gingrich has served the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians in various leadership roles, including chapter president and board chair.

At Penn State, Gingrich was a member of Penn State’s University Faculty Senate, president of the College of Medicine’s faculty organization and received college humanitarian and services awards. In the community, he has worked with the Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center for more than 20 years.

Board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, Gingrich holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatrics. He also earned the AAFP Degree of Fellow, awarded to family physicians for distinguished service and continuing medical education.