Boston: a city where everybody (or nobody) knows your name.

Boston is a city where patriots and health care pioneers helped shaped history--and everybody knows their names. Boston is also home to many unnamed citizens such as homeless children, uninsured families, HIV-infected African Americans, adolescents with alcohol and/or drug problems, and isolated elders. Globally, there are also major health disparities and resource gaps. Primary care providers face many economic and technological challenges as they strive to give names to and serve the underserved. This article is an adapted version of the opening keynote address at the 11th Annual Primary Care for the Underserved Conference held May 2003 in Boston, MA.