Clif Knight, MD, CPE, FAAFP

Biography

Clif Knight, MD, CPE, FAAFP, is a family physician and serves as assistant dean of graduate medical education (GME) for the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM). In this role, he is focused on assisting clinical partners in the development of new and expanded GME programs, with an emphasis in rural communities. He promotes osteopathic recognition to residency programs in Indiana. He assists the MU-COM GME team in preparing MU-COM students for successful placement into GME programs. Dr. Knight is also responsible for MU-COM’s continuing medical education (CME) activities.

From 2020 to 2023, Dr. Knight was MU-COM assistant dean of clinical affairs. Prior to joining MU-COM leadership, Dr. Knight served as senior vice president for education at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) based in Leawood, Kansas, where he oversaw all AAFP organizational activities related to medical education, continuing medical education, CME credit system, and journal media. He previously served as chief medical officer and designated institutional official for Community Health Network in Indianapolis, Indiana. He also has experience as family medicine residency core faculty and program director at Community Health Network. Early in his career, he was in private practice in Flora, Indiana, in rural Carroll County.

Dr. Knight is an Indianapolis native and grew up less than five miles from Marian University. He earned a B.S. in Medical Technology from Ball State University and the St. Francis School of Medical Technology in Beech Grove, Indiana. He graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine and then completed Family Medicine residency at Community East in Indianapolis and subsequently Faculty Development fellowship through the Department of Family Medicine at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He has continuously maintained board certification by the American Board of Family Medicine since 1990. He achieved Certified Physician Executive designation through the American Association for Physician Leadership and the Certifying Commission in Medical Management and obtained an executive certificate in nonprofit leadership through Duke University. 

Dr. Knight served on the Marian University Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2015. He is a Fellow of the AAFP and served on their Board of Directors from 2012 to 2014. He was president of the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) in 1997. Additionally, he served on the Indiana Medical Education Board as well as the Indiana Medicaid Therapeutics Committee, which he chaired in 2009. In 2004 the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians awarded him the A. Alan Fischer Award for outstanding contributions to education in Family Medicine in Indiana. In 2019, the American Medical Association Women Physicians Section recognized him as an Inspiration Award Honoree for his contributions working to achieve gender equity in medicine. He received the IAFP Lester Bibler Award for long term dedication and contribution to family medicine in Indiana in 2022.

Dr. Knight currently serves on the IAFP board of directors. He is an alternate trustee for the Indiana State Medical Association. In addition, he serves on the board of directors for the Indianapolis Medical Society. Since 2020, Dr. Knight has represented MU-COM on the Indiana Graduate Medical Education Board.

In addition to education, Dr. Knight is committed to promoting patient safety, clinician well-being, equity for women in medicine and physicians in underrepresented categories, physician leadership development, primary care workforce expansion, and use of performance improvement tools and techniques to improve healthcare and health outcomes. He led the AAFP’s Physician Health First initiative on improving family physician well-being and professional satisfaction. He helped create the AAFP’s Annual Physician Well-being Conference. Dr. Knight served on the steering committee for the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-being.