College of Medicine

Growing up in a family of missionaries, Tamra Travers said she developed an interest and passion to know more about people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

“I was constantly made aware of the harsh reality that exists for so many people in the developing world,” she said.

As a third-year medical student at Florida State, that passion has evolved into a leadership role with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Travers is the only U.S. medical student selected for a North America Young Physician Movement network called Polaris.

As a member of the Polaris executive committee, she will help promote global health to medical students, residents and physicians new to practice.

“I would like to involve medical students in Polaris and work toward improving communication between medical students and residents in Canada, the Caribbean, and the U.S.,” she said of her goals. “I hope to improve collaboration with global health organizations and opportunities already available and functioning, as well as working toward filling areas where additional opportunities, resources, and education are needed.

“I’m looking forward to learning more about leadership and global health through my involvement in Polaris.’’

Travers, a student at the College of Medicine’s Daytona Beach Regional Campus, officially starts her Polaris duties during the organization’s executive committee meeting in November. That meeting takes place at the Canada Family Medicine Forum in Quebec City.

“Tamra has a ‘whole person’ approach to her learning and caring for her patients. She is able to see the person with the illness,” said Luckey Dunn, a family physician and dean of the Daytona Beach campus. “In small group settings, Tamra reminds us of how a disease process might be impacting the lives of others. She is relaxed in caring for patients and hopes to follow the example set by her family medicine faculty by treating her patients as friends and family, offering great medical advice in a relaxed and comfortable setting that fosters trust and healthy life choices,” Dunn said.

“She’s an excellent leader who really wants to practice in a community setting because she realizes how much health care impacts those who live and work in that community.”

Travers said she was motivated to study anthropology as a premed student at the University of Florida to further explore culture’s impact on health. Her experiences also have spurred interest in family medicine for the patient interaction the specialty offers, and drew her to the FSU College of Medicine because of its mission.

“My studies of culture, worldview, histories, perspectives, and medicines of various cultures have fueled my desire to pursue a career in which I can serve those who are overlooked and dedicate myself to a diverse group of patients,” she said.

"So far from my clinical experience I have learned that I love working with children as well as adults, and I couldn’t envision myself doing anything other than a primary care specialty. I have a strong desire to build long-term relationships with patients and care for multiple generations of families. I like the challenge of the diversity of clinical situations and patients that family medicine has to offer as well."