2008 Family Physician of the Year Lives Specialty's Ideals

They call him "Dr. D" in York, Neb. When they speak of him, they use terms such as "compassion," "dignity" and "patience." He is, as one York family wrote, "a strong example of what a family physician should be."

He's their physician, but most of all, he's their friend.

For all that -- and for his medical expertise, focus on each individual patient and willingness to care for whomever is in need -- David Demuth, M.D., has been named the AAFP 2008 Family Physician of the Year.

As a family physician serving a town of 8,000 in southeast Nebraska, Demuth exemplifies the family medicine model of care. He delivers babies -- by cesarean section if necessary -- and he provides well-baby, well-child, youth sports and adult checkups. He helps out in the emergency department of the local hospital, makes hospital rounds and consults with subspecialists to whom he has referred patients with serious illnesses. He also makes the occasional home visit to families in crisis.

Medicine has always been a part of Demuth's life; his mother is a nurse's aide, his sister is a nurse, and when he was in high school, he was a groundskeeper and orderly in his local community hospital in Seward, Neb. There, he met a family physician who urged him to attend medical school, guided him through the application process, helped arrange for financing and even went so far as to help with tuition.

"I asked him, 'How am I going to pay you back?'" recalls Demuth. "He said, 'Become a family physician; take care of patients, take care of students, teach.' Since then, it's been my turn to give back."

Demuth has indeed given back. It began with his residency training in Waco, Texas. There, in addition to caring for patients, Demuth taught medical students. He continued teaching at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he served as a naval commander and twice earned the Outstanding Teacher of Family Medicine Award from the AAFP.

Demuth also covered weekends for an older physician in a nearby town "to give him a break." The experience gave him yet another role model.

"He told me, 'Listen to your patients. Most of the time, they'll tell you what's wrong with them,'" says Demuth, adding that many times, a patient's true concern hides behind the physical complaint. Most times, the emotional toll or difficult lifestyle changes wrought by serious illness or injury play an equally important role in patients' overall health, so "you've got to listen to them," says Demuth.

Listening takes time, but that doesn't matter to Demuth. "I pride myself in giving that individual person his time," he says. "After all, they're interrupting their day to see us. I believe in the saying that patients don't care what certifications you have on your wall; they know when you care."

Demuth continues to teach future physicians the joys and challenges of family medicine. He's served as a preceptor since joining the York Medical Clinic in 1980.

"I learn a lot from medical students and residents," he says. "They're fresh with new knowledge and lack experience; I'm not so fresh with knowledge, but I have the experience."

In precepting, Demuth demonstrates that "the good things about family medicine outweigh the bad." He says, "We become friends and family with our patients. And we get to do what we're comfortable with. I do C-sections and deliveries all the way through geriatrics -- from birth to death. Being involved in all those aspects of life is the most rewarding, it's the most fun."

After a day of teaching and making each patient feel like he or she is his "only patient for the day," Demuth serves his community as a liaison for the York High School Athletic Department, coordinating medical supervision at high school games, and as team physician for many York area schools. Committed to his community's overall health, Demuth also lends his medical expertise and leadership to the York County Drug Task Force and supports Habitat for Humanity.

At home in his spare time, Demuth raises registered Highland cattle -- "which are a low cholesterol, heart-healthy meat" -- and serves on the American Highland Cattle Association Board of Directors.