Dr Werner Oberholzer is the 2013 recipient of the Family Physician of the Year Award for Saskatchewan. This award recognizes outstanding CFPC family physician members—one in each province—who exemplify the best of what being a family physician is all about.
After earning his medical degree at the University of the Orange Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Dr Oberholzer moved his family to Saskatchewan in 1999. He and his wife, Nelleke—also a family physician—began practising family medicine at the Radville Marian Health Centre. In 2009, he received Certification in Family Medicine, and was recognized as a Certified Canadian Physician Executive by the Canadian Medical Association in 2011.
In 2009, Dr Oberholzer was honoured as Saskatchewan Physician of the Year by the Saskatchewan Medical Association. In 2012, he received the Saskatchewan Healthcare Excellence Award from the University of Saskatchewan, and the Dennis Kendall Distinguished Service Award from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan. He was instrumental in establishing the Rural West Primary Health Care—an interdisciplinary medical team that cares for four under-serviced rural communities in southeastern Saskatchewan.
Currently, Dr Oberholzer serves as Medical Director of Emergency Medical Services of Sun Country Health Region, is Chairman of the Joint Medical Professional Review Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, and is an expert member of the Chronic Disease Management Program with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health. He provides weekly clinics in the communities of Bengough and Pangman and is also Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, where he mentors students and graduates of family medicine.
Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year – the Reg L. Perkin Awards
Since 1972, the CFPC and its Research & Education Foundation have honoured family physician members who exemplify the guiding principles of family medicine. Initially, one award recipient was selected to receive the Family Physician of the Year (FPOY) Award each year. Since 2002, ten family physicians have been recognized annually—one representing each CFPC Chapter.
Canada’s FPOYs are chosen by their peers, other health care colleagues, and community leaders for:
- Providing exceptional care to their patients
- Making meaningful contributions to the health and well-being of their communities
- Dedicating themselves as researchers and educators of future generations of family doctors
FPOY recipients must exemplify the four principles of family medicine:
- Be skilled clinicians
- Be community based
- Act as a resource to a practice population
- Recognize the central importance of the doctor-patient relationship
CFPC Chapters review nominations and select the FPOY for their respective provinces. The provincial FPOYs are honoured at their respective Annual Scientific Assemblies or Annual General Meetings. The national FPOYs are honoured at the annual CFPC Family Medicine Forum.