(Red Oak, Iowa)  – Officials with the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital & Clinics in Red Oak, have announced Dr. Thomas Baer, a dedicated family physician from Malvern, has been honored as the 2024-2025 Iowa Family Physician of the Year by the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians. The award was presented during the installation and awards ceremony held on November 7 at Prairie Meadows Event Center. The Iowa Family Physician of the Year award is presented to one outstanding physician in Iowa who best exemplifies the tradition of the family doctor and epitomizes the finest standards of family medicine.

Dr. Baer graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1989 and completed his residency at the Lincoln Medical Education Foundation in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1992. He currently serves the Malvern community.

Dr. Thomas Baer is presented with the 2024-2025 Iowa Family Physician of the Year award by the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians.

One nomination letter praised Dr. Baer’s deep commitment to his patients and his innovative approach to overcoming healthcare barriers: “Dr. Baer understands the challenges of accessing healthcare and will do whatever is necessary to address it. He noticed that some patients struggled to come in during the week, so he opened his clinic for two additional days each month to accommodate those who could not visit during regular hours. Dr. Baer’s dedication extends beyond the clinic; he is an advocate for community involvement, recognizing that a strong community contributes significantly to the well-being of its members. Dr. Thomas Baer is not just a physician; he is an integral part of the Malvern community.”

Family physicians like Dr. Baer undergo extensive training beyond medical school, which includes a three-year residency and comprehensive education in various aspects of medicine. This training equips them to care for patients at every stage of life and in diverse areas, including pediatrics, geriatrics, internal medicine, psychiatry, surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, and community medicine.

The Iowa Academy of Family Physicians, representing over 1,700 members, is a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, which is one of the largest medical specialty societies in the United States with a membership of more than 129,000 family physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students.