NAPERVILLE, Illinois - The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians honored some of its finest family physicians at a special luncheon July 15 as part of the 2006 annual meeting.

Family Physician of the Year – Dale W. Blaise, MD of Murphysboro

Distinguished Service Award – Thomas Cornwell, MD of Wheaton

Family Medicine Teacher of the Year – Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, MPH of Downers Grove

Media Award – Judith Graham, Chicago Tribune

President’s Award (2) – Catherine Counard, MD, MPH and Statewide Medical Alliance for the Survival of Healthcare (S*M*A*S*H)

Dr. Blaise has been caring for his hometown of Murphysboro in southern Illinois for 22 years and has a special interest in geriatric care. But his personal family medicine style wins him fans from the very young to the very old. He is the coordinator and instructor for sex education in the Murphysboro school district and also medical director of Jackson County Nursing Home as well as the Roosevelt Square facility for developmentally disabled. He has served in many leadership capacities at St. Joseph’s Memorial Hospital and Jackson County Medical Society.

He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria in 1981. He then completed family medicine residency training at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis before returning to Illinois.

"Family physicians are part of the fabric of their communities – for some patients, they are practically a member of the family," said IAFP president Fredric D. Leary, MD, who presented the award. "Dr. Blaise enjoys a special relationship to many as a physician and friend to those in his care."

When asked about his award, Dr. Blaise said, "To me, what I do on a day to day basis is because I really, sincerely care about people. Knowing that my patients care and my peers recognize that the type of care I provide is somewhat different or unique is quite an honor."

Dr. Blaise and his wife Kelli are the proud parents of four and grandparents to almost two-year old Ryan. He’s very active with his church and also coaches 11 year old Kailyn’s softball team.

"I have been very fortunate to have a group of individuals in my office, the staff, which have stayed with me and have the same beliefs and values that I do in the care of patients… which contributes to patient satisfaction and an improved quality of care," says Dr. Blaise.

The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians received many letters of support from Dr. Blaise’s patients. Marcia Weber, a patient and his former high school teacher wrote: "I have referred many people to Dr. Blaise because I have complete faith in his ability. Many of those referrals have told me, ‘Dale Blaise saved my life.’ Whether it’s physical, emotional or a combination of both, Dr. Blaise will do whatever he can to provide the best possible outcome for each patient."

The Family Physician of the Year is chosen from candidates nominated directly by patients and colleagues, who send letters to IAFP describing their family physician. The Award is presented annually to an outstanding family physician that best illustrates the values and vision of the family doctor. He or she is a role model for the community and sets the standard for health care delivery.

Dr. Cornwell has taken a passion for the elderly and disabled and created an entire practice dedicated to home visits. Not only has he served the Chicago metro area, he has helped others nationwide duplicate his model to serve their communities.

Dr. Cornwell combines modern medical technology with good old-fashioned family medicine to bring a much needed avenue of care. His practice, HomeCare Physicians, is entirely home visits to elderly and disabled patients who often cannot get to a physician’s office on their own without great difficulty. His system relies on a good set of wheels, a wireless laptop, portable equipment and a very organized support staff.

He is working on behalf of home-based care nationally, serving on the Home-based Primary Care Quality Initiative, with the goal of creating quality indicators for house call medicine. He’s been doing home visits for over twelve years and has personally done over 19,000 home visits, caring for more than 3,000 homebound patients. He’s been honored as a National House Call Doctor of the Year and with the AMA’s Pride in the Profession Award.

But it wasn’t easy building this mission from the ground up. "There was a time in 1996 when I was making no money and being supported by my wife," recalls Dr. Cornwell. "I am thankful He [God] led me to Central DuPage Health who agreed to support a house call program. It has been exciting to see it grow and become a national leader in house calls."

Dr. Cornwell graduated from University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago in 1986. During his fourth year of medical he fell in love with family medicine during a rotation in the family medicine department at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. As a result, he completed his residency training at Lutheran General. While working at Central DuPage Hospital’s Convenient Care Centers, he first discovered his desire to help the elderly and home-bound through his community service while volunteering at a Christian health center on Chicago’s west side.

Dr. Cornwell and his wife, Leslie are the proud parents of two children, Nathan and Angie.

The Distinguished Service Award is given at the discretion of the IAFP Awards and Promotions Committee to honor an IAFP member with outstanding service to patients over a career. "Family physicians are extremely dedicated physicians by their very nature," said committee member Dr. John Sage, who presented the award. "But when you learn about a physician who takes the mission of serving some of our most fragile patients and provides such unmatched care, that doctor should be honored and celebrated." The award was last presented in 2005 to James Lang, MD of Chicago.

Dr. Kirkegaard is the predoctoral director of the family medicine department at Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in Downers Grove. She’s the course director for the 12 week core Family Medicine/Community Health clerkship and the elective course "Serving the Underserved" and also is on the cultural competence faculty.

She was honored nationally in 2005 with an AMSA Golden Apple Teaching Excellence Award. Dr. Kirkegaard also volunteers as several free clinics and coordinates student volunteers. She is a former member of the IAFP board of directors.

"Along with being a tremendous clinical and cultural instructor, she also teaches her students the value of physician advocacy," said Dr. Leary. "By inviting IAFP’s staff to her class for a day of government action education each semester, she is helping us train and inspire tomorrow’s family medicine advocates."

Dr. Kirkegaard earned her medical degree from the University of Minnesota and completed family medicine residency training at Hinsdale Family Medicine Residency program in1992. She earned her Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Benedictine University in Lisle in 2002.

The Family Medicine Teacher of the Year Award recognizes a family physician faculty who plays a pivotal role in the recruiting and developing the best in family medicine. The recipient can teach in the medical school, residency or community preceptor setting.

President’s Award – The IAFP President’s Award is given at the discretion of the president to honor an individual or organization that has been instrumental in furthering the missions of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians.

Catherine Counard, MD, MPH is the Assistant Medical Director for Communicable Disease Control with the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH). She was co-founder of the Evanston Citizens for Clean Indoor Air, a multidisciplinary coalition of Evanston citizens and organizations advocating for smoke-free Evanston workplaces. After a partial victory in 2004 making some workplaces smoke-free, the Evanston coalition went back to the Council in 2006 and got the 100 percent smoke-free city that they wanted. As of July 1, all Evanston workplaces, including restaurants and bars, are smoke-free.

"As committed partners in the fight against tobacco, the IAFP is proud to recognize Dr. Counard’s outstanding commitment to her community’s protection from secondhand smoke," said Fredric D. Leary, MD, IAFP president.

S*M*A*S*H – Statewide Medical Alliance for the Survival of Healthcare –S*M*A*S*H is a grassroots political coalition of health care providers throughout Illinois who worked tirelessly to advance medical liability reform in the Illinois General Assembly. With constant political and media activity, S*M*A*S*H was able to garner the support of their legislators to vote for reforms that would stop the skyrocketing increases in liability premiums and provide a system that would ensure fairness to providers and patients. In May 2005 the General Assembly passed reform legislation and Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the bill into law in August 2005. Morris Kugler, MD, the Headquarters Surgeon of S*M*A*S*H accepted this President’s Award from Dr. Leary.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: If you would like to request a digital photo or set up an interview, please contact Ginnie Flynn at IAFP at 630-435-0356 ext. 118 or via e-mail at gflynn@iafp.com.