May 19, 2022 Contact:

Liz Woodruff, Executive Director
208-871-4597

Idaho Academy of Family Physicians Announces Physician of the Year, Advocacy Award, and New President of the Board

BOISE, ID—During its Annual Conference, held in person this year in Sun Valley, Idaho, the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) installed its new board president, Dr. Brandon Mickelsen of Pocatello. The event also featured awards for the Idaho Family Physician of the Year, Dr. Rebecca Katzman of Orofino, and Dr. Patrice Burgess of Boise, who received the organization’s Neva Santos Advocacy Award. See below for relevant photos.

Dr. Mickelsen, who practices Family Medicine in Pocatello at the Intermountain Medical Clinic and serves as the Program Director of the Idaho State University Family Medicine Residency, has served on the IAFP Board of Directors for several years. Dr. Mickelsen is originally from Pocatello and received his Medical Degree in 2006 from The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in Pocatello and served as Chief Resident for one year. Dr. Mickelsen plans to focus his year as IAFP Board President on supporting Family Physicians in sustaining their passion for medicine and alleviating burnout after the past two years of a pandemic.

Dr. Rebecca Katzman was chosen by the IAFP Board as the 2022 Family Physician of the Year. Dr. Katzman practices full-spectrum rural Family Medicine in the rural/frontier community of Orofino, at Clearwater Valley Health. She provides obstetrical care with surgical obstetrics, Emergency Department care, and hospital medicine coverage and care in the Patient-Centered Medical Home clinic. She also provides frontline care of Covid patients and those that are critically ill. In one of three nomination letters for Dr. Katzman, her colleague, Dr. Kelly McGrath states, “The deep caring wisdom and wit of Dr. Katzman stands as a shining example of what Family Medicine brings to our patients.” The IAFP presented this year’s Family Physician of the Year Award in-person to Dr. Katzman on Saturday, May 7 in Sun Valley.

The IAFP also selected its Neva Santos Advocacy Award recipient from several nominations by its members and the IAFP Board chose Dr. Patrice Burgess for her advocacy as the Chair of Idaho’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee (CVAC). Under Dr. Burgess’ leadership, CVAC was instrumental in getting nursing home populations and frontline workers efficiently vaccinated early in 2021. Dr. Burgess’ advocacy for vaccines in Idaho helped to save the lives of the elderly across Idaho. Her advocacy also helped Family Physicians throughout the state to ensure access for themselves and their employees early in the vaccine process. Dr. Burgess serves as an Executive Medical Director at Saint Alphonsus in Boise.

For more details on the IAFP, visit idahofamilyphysicians.org.