Original Article: International Generalist Physicians’ Conceptions of Generalism: “The Way,” “The Privilege,” and “The Indescribable Whole”

“International Generalist Physicians’ Conceptions of Generalism: ‘The Way,’ ‘The Privilege,’ and ‘The Indescribable Whole.’”

July 2026

AFM

Larry Green, MD, Distinguished Professor of Family Medicine and Epperson Zorn Chair for Innovation at CU Anschutz, co-authored an article in the Annals of Family Medicine (AFM) titled “International Generalist Physicians’ Conceptions of Generalism: ‘The Way,’ ‘The Privilege,’ and ‘The Indescribable Whole.’”

The study explores the generalist physician model of care in Family Medicine, a person-centered approach that emphasizes whole-person care. As health care increasingly shifts toward more transactional and technology-driven models, their work analyzed physicians’ reflections and identified key themes that may help preserve and strengthen the generalist model of care in the future.

From the article:

“Hidden within these data is a message—the tidal wave of culture seems to be eschewing generalist patient-centered care even as we as clinicians appear to be longing for it and mourning its loss. This study’s unearthing of The Way of the generalist, the sense of Privilege felt by its practitioners, and the Indescribable Wholeness at its core provides touchstones for those seeking to understand, support, advance, and protect generalism in health care and health. As one participant said: ‘We need generalists to put the pieces back together’. This understanding is not simply theoretical—it has global implications for how health care is enacted, how well it meets patient and population needs, and how it sustains and values the generalist physician workforce experience, expertise, and philosophy of care.”

Other DFM faculty members who contributed to this article are Rebecca Etz, PhD, and Kurt Stange, MD, PhD.

Read more of this article.