The halls and lab rooms of A.F. Williams Family Medicine Clinic buzz with activity: medical assistants dart between the red, green, and gold pod areas; front desk receptionists warmly greet patients; children laugh as they color in the waiting area; nurses gently escort older patients to exam rooms; and providers chat in the precepting room. A shining plaque on the wall reads “Health Equity and Community Engagement Practice Award,” while a vibrant collage of staff pets brings a smile to everyone who passes by. This is just a small glimpse into the heart and soul of what makes A.F. Williams so unique—and a nod to the remarkable work they do every day.
Home to over 50 physicians, staff who carry themselves with playful vigor, and one of the nation’s largest family medicine residency programs, A.F. Williams (AFW), stands as a cornerstone of training, efforts to ameliorate health care disparities, and attentive stewardship in primary care.
About the Clinic
The A.F. Williams Family Medicine Clinic was established in 1977. Thanks to a generous gift from the A.F. Williams Family Foundation, which purchased the clinic’s original building. Now part of the University of Colorado Department of Family Medicine (CU DFM), the clinic has grown into a vibrant hub of care, learning, and community connection—still rooted in the same spirit of generosity and service that started it all.
The clinic provides comprehensive, team-based care, including primary care, behavioral health, chronic disease management, and preventive services—all while serving as a hands-on training ground for the next generation of family physicians.
One of the clinic’s most defining features is its robust family medicine residency program, which attracts residents from across the country who are passionate about full-scope family medicine. Many of the faculty at A.F. Williams are former CU DFM residents themselves, creating a strong culture of mentorship and continuity. With its high volume of patients, diverse population, and commitment to education, A.F. Williams continues to be a model for academic family medicine clinics and a voice for its community.
Corey Lyon, DO, FAAFP, Associate Professor for the Department of Family Medicine and Program Director of the University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency Program at A.F. Williams, recalls why he loves working with the clinic:
“Not only is A.F. Williams a great place to work and care for patients and community, but it is also a great place to learn and grow. The family medicine residents have an opportunity to learn and grow for the many talented faculty physicians and interprofessional faculty in psychology and clinical pharmacy. In addition to a great integrated, team-based clinical setting, it is an inspiring learning laboratory.”
Meet the Faces of A.F. Williams
A.F. Williams is home to a large and dynamic team of trainees, providers, and staff. While we can’t feature every hard-working team member and brilliant mind, we’re proud to highlight just a few.
Sara Huntington, BSN, RN, AMB-BC. Charge Nurse III, A.F. Williams Family Medicine. (UC Health Staff that supports A.F. Williams.) Ms. Huntington has been with A.F. Williams for over ten years. She oversees patient care and guides the team of nurses.
- What inspired you to pursue a career in Family Medicine?
“I had started nursing on a telemetry inpatient unit and then held various roles in the department of Cardiology in Oregon, Utah, and then here in Colorado. After having a family, I realized I wanted to have knowledge that was more applicable to my friends and family. However, I also want to work with folks in a preventative manner so that they did not necessarily end up on the telemetry unit or the Department of Cardiology for conditions that were preventable.”
- What do you enjoy most about working at A.F. Williams?
“I really love getting to know patients over time, literally from birth or until they pass. It’s a privilege to be a part of our patients’ healthcare, which can be intimate, joyful, or scary. As the anticoagulation RN (Registered Nurse), I have a small panel of patients I see regularly for helping to manage their warfarin (Coumadin), sometimes every two weeks. I know them all by name and have even memorized their birth dates. My hope is that when our patients feel seen and known, they have a better experience, especially when having to come frequently for certain health conditions.”
- How would you describe your clinic’s culture in three words?
“Education and quality oriented. As a residency clinic we have a rich culture of learning and quality improvement. With primary care, the topics can be broad and there is always something new to learn, and ways in which we can try to improve outcomes for our patients.”
“Family-oriented. We see all ages and on any given day you may hear the cat-like cries of a newborn or an octogenarian being escorted by their adult child down the hallway.”
“Diverse. Our patients can vary greatly in race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities and disabilities, cultural background, socioeconomic status, religious and spiritual beliefs, cognitive abilities, neurodiversity, income, education, citizenship status, privilege, mental health, and general health.”
- What’s something unique or special about your team?
“Our registered nurses are bright, kind, and eager to help. They provide great patient education, advice and care that meets the patient where they are in their health literacy or readiness to learn. And they do it with grace and humor every day.”
- Can you share any special or rewarding moments you’ve had recently?
“Today a patient thanked me for my care and said, ‘you’re a good nurse,’ and that made my day!”
- What makes you proud to work with this clinic?
“I’m extremely proud of our continued efforts towards improving [health care disparities]. It’s a tough needle to move, but the staff and providers who do the work are dedicated and persistent. It’s not natural for all, but as I see it socialized throughout clinic that we use a patient’s stated name and pronouns—I’m beyond proud that this needle has moved in the direction that helps to make patients feel seen and safe with us.”
- What’s one thing you wish more people would know about your clinic?
“Three things! A.F. Williams is very large with multiple moving parts up front and behind the scenes, with multiple wonderful folks who help keep it running smoothly. Our patients are diverse in many ways, which makes it an interesting and enriching place to work. And our Family Medicine providers are some of the kindest and hardest working in the biz!”
Jeremy Stevenson, PsyD. Senior Instructor and licensed clinical Psychologist in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado. Dr. Jeremy Stevenson has been with A.F. Williams for seven years. He serves as a Major Rotation Supervisor and Inpatient Family Medicine Services.
- What inspired you to pursue a career in Family Medicine?
“My background is in clinical health psychology with an emphasis in rehabilitation psychology and primary care psychology…In Rehab I was helping people with catastrophic illnesses—brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, strokes—to get back into life after that. I am currently working in primary care, and a big part of my role is training future psychologist to do integrated primary care throughout the nation.”
- What do you enjoy most about working at A.F. Williams? / What’s one thing you wish more people would know about your clinic?
“I love all the variety in primary care, and I love working with our BH (Behavioral Health) trainees and medical residents. Our Family Medicine residency program here is one of the best in the nation, and working with the residents is very rewarding since I know what they learn about BH will impact many patients. I also like working with the medical providers, the PCPs—they’re just great people: some of the most hardworking and compassionate humans I’ve met. I’m a psychologist, so I study people, and these individuals are uniquely built—service-oriented, compassionate, and incredibly smart. We need more people like that in the world. Hardworking, compassionate, and smart—it’s the trifecta.”
- How would you describe your clinic’s culture in three words?
“Evolving/developing, compassionate, innovative.”
- What is something unique or special about your team?
“I would describe the BH team here as flexible and adaptable. Our clinic is unique because of the volume of patients and providers and the high number of learners we work with. There are so many moving parts here and the flexibility and adaptability are important to effectively respond to all those moving parts.”
- Can you share any special or rewarding moments you’ve had recently? / What makes you proud to work with this clinic?
"I have a patient I’m seeing for PTSD from sexual assault who once said, ‘I feel like you’ve been the only one who has been through this with me.’ Occasionally, patients make progress and share things like, ‘You were part of the reason I was able to be here… to get back into my work… to be a parent.’ It’s moments like these that remind me what a privilege it is to do this work; it makes this work very satisfying.”
Kaitlyn Strutt, MBA. Supervisor of Clinic Office Operations, A.F. Williams (UC Health Staff that supports A.F. Williams.) Ms. Strutt has been with A.F. Williams for two years, where she manages provider schedules to ensure efficient patient appointments, oversees the front desk and medical records teams, and assists patients—primarily with billing concerns.
- What inspired you to pursue a career in Family Medicine?
“I was growing my career in healthcare administration and an opportunity at A.F. Williams became available. Previously I was in specialty care, so primary care offered a different area of focus and its different workflows for me to be exposed to as I continue to grow my career.”
- What do you enjoy most about working at A.F. Williams?
“Since A.F. Williams is a residency clinic, there is an energy of learning, and that energy extends to all areas of the department. The residents are learning. The faculty continue to learn through their teaching, practice and projects outside clinic. Many medical assistants are in nursing school. A philosophy of the department is everyone is involved in the education of the residents.”
- How would you describe your clinic’s culture in three words?
“Always changing. As mentioned in the previous question, everyone is always learning, asking questions and finding ways to better serve patients.”
“Big. Last count there are 53 providers at A.F. Williams and 47 staff (UCH side) supporting them. The clinic has 100 to 250 visits per day.”
“Family. Staff and providers work closely to support one another and naturally get to know each other. They celebrate birthdays, work anniversaries, graduations, births, engagements, and other big life moments with each other. This sentiment also is shared with patients. Providers and staff get to know patients as they live and grow through life. Some of them have cared for patients since they were children and are now also caring for their children.”
- What is something unique or special about your team?
“My team of the PASs (Patient Access Specialists) is unique in that they interact with the most patients out of any other team in the department. They are checking in every patient for their visit compared to the provider that might only see ten patients in a day. The PAS team is scheduling patients as they leave or walk in. They are talking to patients on the phone and being the connection between patient and provider.”
- Can you share any special or rewarding moments you’ve had recently?
“In the spring of their second year, residents do a shadow day with staff. There is a rotation schedule for them to meet with the front desk, medical records, medical assistants, nurses and radiology tech. These are brief, about 30-minute, shadow sessions, but every year it seems to be valuable to providers to observe all the different areas of the clinic they work in and that support them day-to-day. By this point in their residency, the residents have experience to know some of what is going on in each area but still have time that this part of their education can make a difference in their program.”
- What makes you proud to work with this clinic?
“I was proud when I saw the outgoing class of resident’s graduate. They come into their residency program like anyone on their first day of school or at a new job and three short years later, they are grown and confident and ready to go out into the world for their next adventure.”
- What’s one thing you wish more people would know about your clinic?
“Everyone should have a primary care provider because they can do so much for their health. AFW does preventive visits, acute visits, immunizations, OB care, minor in-office procedures, behavioral health, sports medicine, integrative medicine for women, and lab work. Something I want people to know more specifically about our department is that residents are doctors. They have received the education and training to care for patients and if they need support, there is a whole team behind them.”
Lillian (Lillie) Toaspern, MD. Chief Resident Physician, A.F. Williams. Dr. Toaspern has been with A.F. Williams for two years and is starting her third year of residency. She guides and supports junior residents and medical students while providing high-quality patient care.
- What inspired you to pursue a career in Family Medicine?
“I believe that a patient’s health does not exist in a bubble—it lies at the intersection of institutional, economic, and personal forces that all work to undeniably shape a patient’s experience. And the best way to ensure a healthier future is to practice medicine in a way that honors these factors and incorporates them into the treatment plan, an ideal which I believe to be a central tenet of family medicine. It’s thinking about working together, about being a member of your patient’s team.”
- What do you enjoy most about working at A.F. Williams?
“I love the community of A.F. Williams. Every single day I’m at the clinic I am laughing with the MAs {Medical Assistants), learning about people’s lives and having a great time. I think that we all really care about each other at this clinic.”
- How would you describe your clinic’s culture in three words?
“Compassionate, comprehensive and kind. AFW is a full-service clinic that provides wrap around care in so many different ways!”
- What’s something unique or special about your team?
“Red Pod, one of the three pods, has all of the red headed residents and I think that’s beautiful.”
- Can you share any special or rewarding moments you’ve had recently?
“I recently had a patient give me a jar of homemade pickles and tell me that she’s feeling so much better so she can tend to her garden. She promised me some jelly this fall!”
- What makes you proud to work with this clinic?
“We had a transgender patient who comes to AFW for gender affirming care, they shared that they felt more comfortable coming to AFW than any other clinic before. That sense of safety is what we strive for!”
- What’s one thing you wish more people would know about your clinic?
“Our residents, faculty, APPs (Advanced Practice Provider), nurses, MAs and support staff make AFW the special place that it is! I am very honored to be a family medicine resident here at CU. This is an incredible program with a long and storied history as a pioneer in the field. We have excellent attendings, advisors and mentors who are devoted to helping residents find their passion as physicians and ultimately develop into the doctors we hope to be. We appreciate the patience and grace that our colleagues treat us with as we learn how to provide care and learn so much from all our team members.”
Innovative, compassionate, diverse, and family-oriented, these are just a few of the words used to describe the culture and impactful work at the heart of A.F. Williams. Education and training are pillars of the Department of Family Medicine, and this clinic truly embodies those core values. A shared excitement for growth and learning fosters an atmosphere of curiosity and connection—reflected in both the care patients receive and the development of future family medicine physicians.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone at A.F. Williams who generously shared their time, stories, and experiences with us.
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