UAPA Annual Awards

Below are the awards and some qualities you may want to consider when choosing your nominees. Please remember the Lifetime Service Award and The Don Pedersen Leadership awards do not necessarily have to be given to PA’s. The academy has the ability if not responsibility to recognize excellence outside of our profession as well.

Eric Heaton Lifetime Service Award
This award goes to someone who has dedicated a large part of their life or career to service. It could be service to patients in the role of provider, it could be service to a population or group of people such as: migrant workers, homeless persons, battered women. It could be service to an organization such as: our own UAPA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army.

• 2019 Award Winner: Craig Ensign, PA
• 2018 Award Winner: Kathy Pedersen, PA
• 2017 Award Winner: Dick Rensch, PA

MD of the Year
Some qualities of this award winner could be: A role model for anyone in health care. They are compassionate, caring and passionate about practicing the art of medicine. They are enthusiastic teachers as well as active learners. This is someone you would send your family to see without reservation.

• 2019 Award Winner: Eric Smart, MD
• 2018 Award Winner: John Barrett, MD
• 2017 Award Winner: Aaron Hofmann, MD

Humanitarian PA of the Year
Someone who has tried to make a difference in the lives of others beyond just practicing medicine. This person demonstrates kindness and compassion impartially to without distinction in regard to gender, sexual orientation, race, geographic location, religion, or nationality.

• 2019 Award Winner: Wagma Mohmand, PA
• 2018 Award Winner: Tim McCreary, PA
• 2017 Award Winner: Jeff Coursey, PA

Rural PA of the Year
This person possesses the qualities that you feel define PA excellence and practices in a rural setting.

• 2019 Award Winner: Dave Deaton and Justin Brinkerhoff, PA
• 2018 Award Winner: Lowell Morris, PA
• 2017 Award Winner: Craig Humes, PA and Jeff Sky, PA

President’s Award
This award is given by the President of the Academy. It is up to the discretion of the President to choose this person.

• 2017 Award Winner: Brian Shiozawa, MD

Don Pedersen Leadership Award
This person demonstrates the ability enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. This is someone who has demonstrated insight, and the ability to “think outside the box”. They are innovative, dedicated, unselfish, and committed to accomplishing the task at hand, while at the same time looking towards the future in an attempt to leave things better than they found them.

• 2019 Award Winner: Wagma Mohmand, PA
• 2018 Award Winner: Dave Keahey, PA
• 2017 Award Winner: Sheralee Petersen, PA