Daniel J. Ostergaard, M.D.

Dan Ostergaard became vice president for health of the public and interprofessional activities in 2011 after having served in a variety of vice-president capacities for the past 24 years.

He has oversight responsibilities for the public health, scientific and research activities of the AAFP as well as the AAFP’s relationships with other medical organizations in the United States and abroad. Through these relationships, Ostergaard facilitates the continued development of family medicine throughout the world and coordinates AAFP international activities.

His staff works to involve family physicians in targeted public health activities, including tobacco, obesity, exercise and immunization. Science staff develops clinical policies and supports, conducts and disseminates practice-based primary care research with the aim of improving health and health care for patients, their families and communities.

Under Ostergaard’s direction, the AAFP will enhance its leadership role in health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management as outlined in the AAFP’s mission and strategic plan. He leads the AAFP in its efforts to explore collaboration opportunities in additional areas related to the health of the public, such as health disparities, patient education, social determinants of health and medical genomics.

As vice president, Ostergaard also helps direct organization-wide strategy and policy-development activities in addition to participating actively in the activities of the AAFP Board of Directors. He is based in the AAFP’s headquarters office in Leawood, Kan.

Ostergaard has served as a family medicine representative in a wide variety of medical organizations including terms of service on the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education and as Treasurer of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies. He is an Alternate Delegate to the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates. Ostergaard is a member of the World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca) Executive Committee by virtue of his position President of the Wonca North American Region. In 1998, he was awarded honorary life membership in Wonca. In 2005, Heart to Heart International awarded Ostergaard its Heart for Humanity Award.

In his travels to more than 60 countries, he has presented a wide variety of papers in multiple countries and has served in many international consultative capacities. He has numerous publications to his credit and has served as visiting professor in several states. Among his awards are the 2000 Gabriel Smilkstein Memorial Award of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine for outstanding contributions to the growth and development of family medicine education throughout the world and the 2001 AAFP Humanitarian Award honoring his extraordinary and enduring humanitarian efforts both within and beyond the borders of the United States.

Ostergaard received his Bachelor of Arts degree in natural sciences and psychology from the University of North Dakota. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine in Dallas. In addition to clinical practice in the United States Public Health Service in New Mexico, Ostergaard served as director of the Family Medicine Residency in Duluth and was a faculty member of the University of Minnesota School of Medicine.