The Idaho Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) held its Annual Conference virtually this year and installed its new board president, Dr. Suzanna Hubele, of Weiser, ID. The event also featured awards for the Idaho Family Physician of the Year, Dr. David Chambers of Coeur d’Alene and Drs. Abby Davids, Penny Beach and Julie Duncan, who received the organization’s Neva Santos Advocacy Award. Some photos are available below.
Dr. Hubele, who practices family medicine in Weiser at the Two River’s Medical Clinic, has served on the IAFP Board of Directors for a number of years. She is a native Idahoan and received her MD from the University of Washington through the WWAMI program. She completed her residency at the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho. Dr. Hubele will serve as board president as the organization continues its work to uphold public health, promote virtual care payment parity and promote diversity and inclusion in medicine over the coming year.
Dr. David Chambers was chosen by the IAFP board as the 2021 Family Physician of the Year. Dr. Chambers has practiced family medicine in Coeur d’Alene for over 30 years. He is known for his commitment to providing urgent care resources in the community. He runs his own practice, Ironwood Family Medicine, and is Associate Medical Director for the Kootenai Clinic Network. As one of the doctors who nominated him said, “Dr. Chambers has been a teacher and resource to those he works with; teaching them how to handle difficult patient encounters, run a practice, and how to perform complex procedures.” During a complicated year for family physicians and all health care providers, the IAFP believes Dr. Chambers exemplifies leadership in medicine focused on supporting our communities through a trying pandemic.
The IAFP also recognized Drs. Abby Davids, Penny Beach and Julie Duncan with the Neva Santos Award for Advocacy, which is named for the organization’s previous director, who retired last year after 20 years of service. Dr. Davids, Beach and Duncan worked to build a program to support Idahoans experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, by working with shelters in the Boise area to test, treat, and temporarily provide housing to those in need. Not only was this effort critical to slowing the spread of COVID- 19 in the area, but these physicians ensured that those experiencing homelessness were treated humanely and were given the opportunity to recover once they received a COVID-19 diagnosis.
The IAFP Virtual Conference was the first of its kind for the organization. The IAFP plans to gather for the annual event in-person next year. For more details on the IAFP, visit idahofamilyphysicians.org.
