Pub. 3 2019 Issue 2

From left to right: Dr. Nikki Clark, Laurie Cope, Dr. David Cope, Dr. Gary LeRoy, Dr. Ray Ward, Beverly Ward, Dr. Kyle Jones, Dr. Isaac Noyes T he UAFP Annual Member Meeting was held earlier this year at the DoubleTree Hotel near the Salt Lake City Inter- national Airport May 11. We were incredibly honored to be joined by Dr. Gary LeRoy, the president of the AAFP Board, as our keynote speaker. We recognized Dr. David Cope as Family Medicine Physician of the Year, and Dr. Ray Ward, also a Utah State Representative, as Family Medicine Advocate of the Year. The annual meeting always provides a good opportunity for UAFP staff and board members to update our members about the work of the state chapter, networking with fellow physi- cians, and hearing from a representa- tive of AAFP about the current work of the Academy. Maryann Martindale, UAFP Executive Director, provided a brief update about the work of UAFP staff and legislative committee during the legislative session this year, includ- ing an overview of bills and appropria- tions we supported or opposed. UAFP created videos highlighting the work of Dr. Cope and Dr. Ward and why these two physicians were so deserving of their respective awards. Members also celebrated the accomplishments of Lynsey Drew, D.O., FAAFP, and Mar- lana Li, M.D., FAAFP, who we officially recognized for their completion of the AAFP Fellowship. Before the annual meeting, several members were able to spend time with Dr. LeRoy at their clinic locations. Dr. LeRoy enjoys doing site visits with local family physicians, residents, and students whenever possible while traveling and those privileged enough to have one-on-one time with him came away better for it. Dr. LeRoy is a passionate advocate for family physi- cians, and he is exceptionally skilled at encouraging family physicians to remain proud of and committed to their chosen specialty. Several medical students and residents also spent the following morning talking with Dr. LeRoy over breakfast. What an amaz- ing opportunity for young physicians just starting in their career to receive advice and encouragement from a physician of Dr. LeRoy’s caliber. We are so grateful that he took the time that he did to interact in such a meaningful way with our members in Utah. On Friday, May 15, 2020, we look forward to holding the 2020 annual meeting, and hope that you will save the date in your calendar and join us. We are so excited to announce that Dr. Ada D. Stewart, AAFP board president-elect, will be joining us for next year’s meeting! Also, next year we will be combining our annual resi- dent and student poster session with the annual meeting. We encourage all interested students and residents to consider submitting an abstract for consideration. There will be a cash prize awarded for the best overall poster. More details are available on our website at www.utahafp.org Registration for the annual meeting will open in early 2020, so keep an eye out for our weekly newsletter, the Weekly Beat, in your email inbox for more details coming soon. UAFP Annual Member Meeting www.UtahAFP.org | 18