It’s a Wrap! The first Southern Utah Family Medicine Conference was a success thanks to your support!
UAFP recently hosted its first-ever Southern Utah Family Medicine Conference, and by all accounts, it was a tremendous success! One of our goals as an organization has been to expand educational and networking opportunities throughout the entire state, giving more members access to high-quality CME offerings, meaningful connections with fellow family physicians, and events that can also involve their loved ones. This conference was a big step forward in making that vision a reality.
The event took place at the brand-new Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah, just a few miles from the Rocky Vista University – Utah Campus. Thanks to this close proximity, we were fortunate to partner with incredible volunteers from the RVU Family Medicine Interest Group. These students provided invaluable support with setup, registration, and coordination of the student and resident poster session.
A total of 14 student groups presented their research projects, and we awarded four winners, including a tie for third place. We are deeply grateful to Comagine, who once again sponsored the poster session, helped judge presentations, and generously provided prize funding for the winners.
1st Place Winner – Deferring the Knife: The Power of Conservative Care in Knee Osteoarthritis presented by Dylan Johnson, OMS I, RVU – Utah Campus
2nd Place Winner – Trends, Risks, and Ethical Considerations of Supplemental Testosterone Use by Healthcare Professionals: A Collaborative Review Guiding Utah Policy Development presented by Chase Kruse, OMS III, RVU – Utah Campus
Tied for 3rd Place:
The Psychological Burden of GI Disease: Associations Between GI Symptoms Severity and Mental Stressors presented by Hannah Crowe-Butler, OMS II, Tyffani Hanson, OMS II, Isabelle Eldridge, OMS II, and Mya Vu, OMS II, RVU – Utah Campus
Psychological Changes in Medical and High-Demand Students During Training presented by John Eri, OMS III and Nathan Nelson, OMS II, RVU – Utah Campus
The conference also offered a wide-ranging lineup of timely and practical education for today’s family physician. Sessions covered behavioral health topics such as personality disorders, bipolar disorder, perfectionism in medicine, and caring for high-utilizer patients, along with key clinical updates on perimenopause, eosinophilic esophagitis, hypermobility, and safe medical cannabis use. Attendees also explored essential public health and systems topics including health equity, PrEP prescribing, death certification, and the increasingly important role of artificial intelligence in medical practice.
Attendees also enjoyed a networking lunch and our Annual Member Meeting and Dinner, where we were proud to present two major annual awards:
- Utah Family Medicine Physician of the Year: Dr. Mark Wardle
- Utah Family Medicine Champion of the Year: Dr. Erica Baiden
Both of these outstanding physicians represent the dedication and excellence we strive to support and celebrate within our statewide family medicine community. We were also thrilled to have newly elected AAFP President-Elect Dr. Kisha Davis provide an update from AAFP, swear in our own board chair Dr. Lynsey Drew, and also present an outstanding CME on health equity.
And because the Black Desert Resort is also home to an acclaimed golf course that hosts a PGA tour event, several attendees were able to enjoy tee times and sunny weather during their stay—a memorable perk of the location!
This conference was made possible in part thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and exhibitors, who spent valuable time meeting with attendees and connecting with family physicians and other primary care clinicians from across Utah. Over the next few weeks, we will be reviewing evaluation results and discussing the feasibility of making this a recurring annual event. Stay tuned for updates in the months ahead.
To everyone who attended, supported, sponsored, volunteered, or helped bring this first Southern Utah conference to life—we sincerely thank you. Your participation made this milestone possible, and we look forward to building on its success.