Daron Gersch, MD, FAAFP
Candidate for speaker
Personal statement
It is a great honor and privilege to be serving as your vice speaker for the Congress of Delegates; words cannot express my gratitude. Likewise, it is a honor to have been nominated as your speaker. Thank you.
Over the last several years, we have worked to try and improve the flow and use of time at the Congress of Delegates. We threw out the bad ideas and kept the good ideas, and I think that overall we have succeeded in that goal. While I feel we have a good system now, there is always room for improvement and I welcome any suggestions. I also look forward to reading your responses on the after-COD survey.
If elected speaker, I promise to continue to make sure that the will of the majority is enacted while the rights of the minority are protected. I will continue to be your voice at the Board of Directors.
I thoroughly enjoy assisting at the National Conference of Constituency Leaders and FUTURE. It is fun to watch the next set of amazing leaders for our Academy grow. I have no doubt they will take family medicine to great heights.
Again, thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to continuing to serve the COD and Academy.
Daron W Gersch, MD, FAAFP, is a family physician living in Avon, Minnesota. Dr. Gersch is currently serving as the vice speaker for the AAFP Congress of Delegates and is a member of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians. He was born and raised in Saint James, Minnesota, and went to college at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He attended the University of Minnesota medical school and did his family medicine residency at the Cedar Rapids family medicine residency program in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Out of residency, he went to the Albany Area Hospital and Medical Center in Central Minnesota to start his rural practice. He provided full-spectrum primary care at that facility for 25 years. During that time, Daron taught and mentored multiple college students, medical students, residents, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. When the Albany Area Hospital closed its doors, he decided to take the opportunity to try something different. He now works full-time as the ER medical, trauma and stroke director, as well as providing ER care for Centracare - Western Region (three critical access hospitals). He also currently serves as the medical director at the Mother of Mercy and Long Prairie nursing homes in Albany and Long Prairie, Minnesota. He is on the Protect Project for the CDC and served on the medical review panel for familydoctor.org.
He has previously served as the mayor of Albany, Minnesota, and served eight years on the rural health advisory committee for the Minnesota Department of Health (including as chair for two years). He also serves as a clinical associate professor at the University of Minnesota school of medicine. He has been a Cub Scout and Boy Scout adult leader for 18 years.
He was a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard, serving as a medical platoon leader at a mechanized infantry company and a physician in a battalion hospital. He obtained the rank of captain and was honorably discharged.
He has been married to his wife, Patti, for 34 years and has three amazing children: Nick, 33; Molly, 30; and Anthony, 26. Molly is married to Mitchell and they have a daughter, Gina. Nick is married to Annie.
Along with family time, he enjoys running and has finished 15 marathons. He also enjoys reading, astronomy, fishing and playing his guitar.