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View Nomination FormPhysicians of the Year (Past & Present)
Dr. Sun Rhodes
Dr. Sun Rhodes completed his medical and public health training at the Oregon Health Sciences University and the Montana Family Medicine Residency Program in Billings. He has assumed leadership roles on organizational, state and regional levels, as well as providing exemplary full scope care in the ER, primary care and inpatient settings. He provides compassionate evidence based, up to date care to his patients, including POCUS and other procedural skills. His mentorship of advanced practice providers and inexperience physicians has helped develop skilled clinicians, and he has been involved with medical education of medical students and residents. He works with WWAMI on medical student clinical rotations.
As the point person for the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana in Browning, he has helped develop a meaningful residency rural rotation. He is a great example of a full spectrum family medicine physician, doing everything from delivering babies, to managing blood pressure, to putting in chest tubes.
~2023 (Current)
Dr. Brewer has been an integral member of the medical staff at Southwest Montana Community Health Center since 2008 when she came to Montana to fulfill her National Health Service Corp Scholarship agreement. Her dedication to the community includes being an active voice on the St. James Medical Staff, and she serves on many boards, including the St. James Foundation and the YMCA.
Her practice is full time patient care and teaching. She provides family medicine with a special emphasis on adolescent health and has the largest adolescent practice in the Butte community and has been a true physician and mentor for many young people.
Dr. Brewer’s true calling is as a teacher, and she is dedicated to providing limitless teaching hours to the students that have chosen medicine as a future. She has developed a network of preceptors in Butte to provide students with a longitudinal and diverse experience when they attend clinical rotations from WWAMI.
Dr. Brewer loves taking care of families, and she embodies the legacy of Family Medicine in the Butte community and works tirelessly to ensure its future.
Dennis was born in 1962 in Walnut Creek, California. He moved with his family to Idaho in 1972, where he lived until graduation from high school in Coeur d’ Alene. He attended the University of Idaho, Whitworth University, and the University of Washington College of Medicine, where he met the love of his life, Jessie. He completed residency at Phoenix Baptist in 1993 and high-risk OB fellowship in Spokane, Washington in 1994. He moved to Butte, Montana, in 1994 and remained in practice there until the time of his death. Dennis was highly respected in the field of Family Medicine, both locally and at the state level. He was a member of a group of physicians that is monikered “Grand-doctors:” this title means he served the citizens of Butte long enough to deliver babies to women that he had delivered. He was very dedicated to the care of his patients. Nationally he worked tirelessly for patient advocacy through the AAFP and on Capitol Hill; his work impacted many individuals.
Dr. Stein is board certified in family medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine and attended Carroll College in Helena and the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington. Shortly thereafter he started full time at the former Eureka Prompt Care in 2000, commuting part-time from Kalispell from 1997-2000 before moving to Eureka. Dr. Stein has been a member of the Eureka community for 20 years and has been able to treat a patient their entire life, not just on a single visit. Dr. Stein has continued to be the main primary care provider for this rural community. His passion for people in his community, both inside and outside the clinic, has been phenomenal.
Dr. Hemmer attended the University of Washington as a WWAMI student and started practicing in Cut Bank in 1986 under the National Health Service Core where he provided full spectrum family medicine, including surgical services and obstetrics. He ultimately moved to Billings in 1990 and went to work for the Billings Clinic. He became department chair in 1993 and still currently holds that position. He has been a member of their Leadership Council and still serves on the Physician Compensation Committee. He has also served as Board Chair for the Montana Family Medicine Residency and on the MMA Board of Trustees. Dr. Hemmer was a past President of the MAFP twice and has served as a Delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians. He continues to be a WWAMI faculty for students and residents. Dr. Hemmer truly exemplifies a great Family Doctor.
Dr. Bennett has been actively involved in teaching and establishing a culture of learning in Lewistown by mentoring students in a traditional family medicine practice, covering all aspects of patient care from newborn to eldercare. Dr. Bennett’s commitment as a physician to her rural community and as a mentor to the next generation of rural family physicians has been a great benefit to the residents of Lewistown and the State of Montana. With her interest in teaching, she has been able to pass on this passion for medicine and the importance of caring for a community to the multitude of students that have been lucky enough to train in Lewistown. She has helped give the residents perspective with a wisdom that comes from her variety of patient experiences, and she is able to offer cultural perspective with descriptions of maternity care practices of native peoples during her time as a family physician In rural Alaska. She emphasizes a team work ethic, encouraging good relationships and communication with specialists, nurses and other staff, all the while promoting the idea that these relationships improve patient safety and quality of care.
Dr. Fahrenwald has been a physician, mentor, educator and friend to Montanans and their family physicians for almost twenty years since she became the Director of the Montana Family Medicine Residency in Billings in 1998. She has deeply affected the way residents care for their patients, and constantly reexamines ways to improve patient care and physician training in our rapidly changing health care environment.
She has helped give the residents perspective with a wisdom that comes from her variety of patient experiences, and she is able to offer cultural perspective with descriptions of maternity care practices of native peoples during her time as a family physician In rural Alaska. She emphasizes a team work ethic, encouraging good relationships and communication with specialists, nurses and other staff, all the while promoting the idea that these relationships improve patient safety and quality of care.
Dr. Marks has a long history with Montana, both personal and professional. He was not content to just practice medicine; he wanted to make it better which has been a common theme in his medical career. He has held multiple appointments in and around the state, both for healthcare in general and to promote Montana’s specific needs in a rural community. You can always encounter a family physician in Montana who is aware of R.D. and his fiery passion to make health care better. The staff at Madison Valley Medical Center in Ennis describes him as a tireless advocate of healthcare improvement, from the type of mattresses in the inpatient rooms to policy changes at the business level, there is not anything he will not work to change if he feels that he can make an improvement. He is a self-described proactive problem solver. He has been a tireless advocate for change and for promoting good ideas over the established status quo.
Dr. Jay Erickson is the Assistant Dean for the Montana WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) Clinical Phase at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. In this position he oversees the clinical teaching opportunities for WWAMI students in Montana. This includes first year preceptorships, the Montana R/UOP (Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program) between first and second year of medical school and twenty-three required clerkship opportunities in 8 communities in Montana. He also oversees third year Tracks in Missoula and Billings where students are able to complete all of their third year training in Montana. He co-chairs the WRITE program in the WWAMI region a 5 month third year rural immersion experience in twenty-one rural communities in the 5 state region.
Dr. Richardson has been a Family Medicine physician in Havre since 1977. His practice has been actively involved in teaching with WWAMI since 1992 with Dr. Richardson at the helm as the clerkship site director and he is currently a Clinical Associate Professor in Family Medicine for University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Richardson has been a stalwart in medical care for the community of Havre, delivering full spectrum family health care during the past 35 years. He has delivered thousands of babies, been on the sidelines of countless sporting events and attended hours of committee meetings at the local hospital. He has provided compassionate patient centered care to generations of families in North Central Montana. He has also been an outstanding role model to the residents who have passed through Havre. In 2010, he was awarded the WWAMI Distinguished Teacher Award, voted on by the UWSOM graduating class of 2010. .
Dr. Upchurch is board certified in Family Medicine with added qualification in Geriatrics. He has a master’s degree in education and human development and is licensed as a paramedic. Dr. Upchurch is a ‘Legacy’ member of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Since 1985 his practice has been with the Indian Health Service at Crow Agency where he has offered the full spectrum of family medicine in a rural/frontier environment.
Doctor Rice has been a Family Medicine physician in Libby since 1977 and he has been precepting residents in his office since he arrived. He has helped initiate a culture of teaching in Libby which is crucial as we replace those in practice with the next generation of physicians. Students and residents who have been lucky enough to spend time in Libby have nothing but glowing praise when describing Doctor Rice and his teaching and mentoring abilities.
Richard Sargent, MD received his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Idaho and went onto receive is MD from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Sargent completed his Family Practice Residency in Boise, Idaho where he was Chief Resident.
Doctor Michels has practiced medicine within the St. Vincent Healthcare organization since 1989. He is a dedicated physician who is valued both professionally and personally by his patients and his colleagues.
During 36 years behind a stethoscope in the same small town, a family doctor has a pretty good chance of witnessing the parade of generations. Dr. Ron Miller has been in the front lines for many Whitefish families — and counts that participation as a great joy. “Relationships,” he said without missing a beat, when asked to consider the favorite part of his practice. “I’ve had patients that I delivered their children, and now I’ve delivered that child’s baby.” At one point Dr. Miller did it all, serving as the go-to doctor for all of a family’s planned and unplanned medical needs. But he gave up emergency-room medicine two years ago. Four years back, he quit doing obstetrical work.
Mark has been working in Wolf Point for many years, serving his community, teaching residents and medical students, and doing all of those other things that you expect of someone who has their name come up in discussions regarding an award like this.
John is a caring, knowledgeable and dedicated physician. He continues to practice the full spectrum of Family Medicine, including OB; office, hospital and nursing home practices; surgery assisting; serving medical missions overseas and teaching medical students.