The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) is pleased to announce that Heidi Gullett, MD, MPH, will receive its 2020 Family Physician of the Year Award.
The OAFP annually presents the Family Physician of the Year Award to an individual who meets and exceeds the criteria of being an outstanding family physician. Other criteria includes maintaining high professional standards and service orientations; providing high quality and family-centered continuing health care; and being active in their community.
Dr. Gullett has been practicing full-spectrum family medicine for 16 years. She attended the Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, OH, and completed a combined residency in family medicine, public health, and general preventive medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR. She later attended the Case Western Reserve University (Case) School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH, to complete a Faculty Development Fellowship to improve behavioral health skills for family medicine faculty.
“Being a good family physician requires a steadfast commitment to bring your best every day so that each person you encounter, whether patient or co-worker, knows that you genuinely care about them and that you will stand beside them in times of joy and difficulty,” said Dr. Gullett.
Dr. Gullett is a practicing physician at the Neighborhood Family Practice Community Health Center and Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital in Cleveland. She is also the medical director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and serves as the Population Health Liaison with Case, the Title X Director, and has served as the COVID-19 Incident Commander.
In addition to her clinical and public service roles, she is an associate professor in the Center for Community Health Integration and the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Case. Dr. Gullet has also served as program director for the University Hospitals Public Health/General Preventive Medicine Residency Program and core faculty in the Family Medicine Residency Program.
“Dr. Gullett is over brimming with integrity and is equally committed to her work at the university, within her clinical practice, and out in the community setting,” said Terry Allan, MPH, health commissioner of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. “I think the secret to her success lies in her unpretentiousness and clear vision of a community where everyone, no matter their race, income, or social standing, has an equal shot at a healthy life.”
“I feel that practicing family medicine provides a unique window into the personal toll that systemic conditions such as racism and poverty have on individuals,” said Dr. Gullett. “This perspective gained from continuity with patients over time allows family physicians to think about pragmatic ways to address social determinants of health and fight for health equity on multiple levels.”
Dr. Gullett has been a member of the OAFP for 10 years and is currently a member of its Population Health and Social Determinants of Health Workgroup.
“I am so proud to be an Ohio family physician and community health center doctor,” said Dr. Gullett. “I truly believe family physicians are the lifeblood of our health system and that we have the potential as a family medicine community to be change agents for the future of medicine, where every patient, their whole selves and what they most care about, are the outcomes we fight for!”
The OAFP is proud to honor Dr. Gullett in her achievements as a family physician.
Dr. Gullett lives in Northeast Ohio with her spouse, Travis Gullett, MD, MATS, and children, Lynelle and Colin.
To learn more about the Family Physician of the Year Award, please visit the OAFP website.
Heidi embodies the complete family physician, integrating public health and primary care in a way that few can duplicate! This is a well-deserved recognition of the many years of public service and high quality patient care she has provided to the community. With a ready smile and a willingness to say yes to important community challenges that surround her, she has been an inspirational hero to those who have watched her growth and development over the years. Congratulations!
Dr. Gullet is the consummate family physician: brilliant, talented, passionately committed to bettering the lives of her patients, reducing racial disparities, and improving the health of our community. She is a person of deep integrity whose life reflects her commitment to work for justice at the personal, professional and systemic levels. We in Northeast Ohio are incredibly fortunate to have her among us. Congratulations!