WASHINGTON – Roland A. Goertz, M.D., M.B.A., of Waco, Texas, has been awarded the 2006 Robert Graham Family Physician Executive Award by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Goertz was recognized today during an awards ceremony at the organization’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Held Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, the meeting is one of the largest gatherings of primary care physicians in the country.
The award recognizes an AAFP member whose executive skills in health care organizations have contributed to excellence in the provision of high-quality health care and demonstrated that family physicians can have an impact on improving the overall health of the nation. It is named in honor of Dr. Robert Graham, former AAFP executive vice president (1985-2000), who dedicated his career to improving access to health care and fostering the tenets of family medicine.
Since 1997, Goertz has served as the executive director and CEO of the Heart of Texas Community Center, Inc. in Waco, Texas. Through his leadership and community involvement, the center has become one of the most successful and trusted health care institutions in the region. It is the principal provider of health services to underserved patients and communities in the Waco area.
Goertz has also worked to enhance family medicine educational programs. From 1992 to 1997, he served in multiple roles at the University of Texas Health Science Center, including associate professor and chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, vice president of medical affairs for the physician group of the university, and chief medical officer for more than 200 primary care physicians.
As president of both the McLennan County Medical Education and Research Foundation and the Waco Family Practice Foundation, Goertz leads a nationally recognized fellowship program which produces the region’s teachers and future leaders in family medicine.
The foundation also supports the Area Health Education Center which coordinates the interdisciplinary training that is essential to the delivery of services to communities across the 18-county region.
Goertz was chair and member of the AAFP’s Commission on Education and served a five-year term on the AAFP’s Task Force to Enhance Family Practice Research. He currently serves as chair of the Family Practice Advisory Committee to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, chair of the AAFP’s Commission on Governmental Advocacy, president and board member of the Texas Association of Community Health Centers and an appointed member of the Veteran’s Administration Federal Local Advisory Panel.
Waco Family Physician Receives National Honor From American Academy of Family Physicians
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Contact:
Barbara Kowalski
American Academy of Family Physicians
(800) 274-2237 Ext. 5204
bkowalsk@aafp.org
# # #
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 110,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Approximately one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 240 million office visits each year — nearly 87 million more than the next largest medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.
To learn more about the specialty of family medicine, the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, and for downloadable multi-media highlighting family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.FamilyDoctor.org.
