SPRINGFIELD, OREGON - Daniel Paulson, MD, MS, was named the 2017 Oregon Family Doctor of the Year by the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP). Dr. Paulson was honored at the OAFP’s Annual Family Medicine Weekend on Saturday, April 22 at the Sunriver Resort. Dr. Paulson’s wife, Linda Hesketh, and their two daughters, Marika and Jennika, were on hand for the announcement. At the same celebration, Dr. Paulson was also sworn in to serve a second year as President of the OAFP. He has been a member of the OAFP since 2001 and on the board of the Academy since 2010
Upon receiving the award, Dr. Paulson stated, “It is a real honor to be recognized by my peers in the OAFP; people for whom I have great respect. This is also a tribute to all of the people I work with at Springfield Family Physicians where we have worked hard to implement the goals of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Home.”
The award recognizes physicians who provide compassionate, comprehensive family medicine on a continuing basis; are involved in community affairs; and who provide a credible role model professionally and personally to their community, other health professionals and residents and medical students.
Dr. Paulson is currently a managing partner at Springfield Family Physicians where he has worked since 2001 and he focuses his practice on health maintenance and disease prevention. He is the medical director for his clinic’s Patient-Centered Primary Care Home and the clinic is participating in the nationwide Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative. He serves on several committees for the Trillium Coordinated Care Organization including the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and the Committee for Primary Care and Behavioral Health Integration. He is also the course director for family medicine at the Center for Medical Education and Research at PeaceHealth and a member of the Volunteers in Medicine Medical Advisory board. He has been active in the implementation of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Home standards in Lane County and across the state. Dr. Paulson is a graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and holds both M.D. and M.S. degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also completed his family medicine residency.
The following testimonials from Dr. Paulson’s colleagues, patients and peers sum up how he represents the best in family medicine:
“Dr. Paulson is one of those all-too-rare physicians who is doing exactly what a physician is meant to do. There is not ego involved in his approach to patients and his goal is to improve patient’s lives.”
“He is a professional in every sense of the word, and a fantastic role model to any new student or provider who trains with this physician.”
“Dr. Paulson is the most compassionate physician with whom I have ever worked.”
“Dan is an unflappable and emphatic leader in our medical community.”
Dr. Paulson’s name will be submitted to the American Academy of Family Physicians in nomination for the American Family Doctor of the Year.
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The Oregon Academy of Family Physicians is the largest medical specialty society in Oregon and represents more than 1,500 family physicians, residents, and medical students throughout the state. The mission of the OAFP is to advocate for family physicians and assist them in providing for the health of their patients and communities.
