2023 Family Physician of the Year:
Alysia C. Herzog, MD, FAAFP
The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) is pleased to announce that Alysia C. Herzog, MD, FAAFP, will receive its 2023 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 healthcare; and being active in their community.
When asked about her “why,” Dr. Herzog explained that she is more so guided by the “when, who, and what” questions noted in the Leo Tolstoy story. “The most important time is now; the most important person is whoever you are with; and the most important thing is helping the person you are with,” she answered.
Dr. Herzog is a board certified family physician with 22 years of post-residency experience. She is the program director for the OhioHealth Grant Family Medicine Residency Program in Columbus, OH, as well as the vice-chair of the department of family medicine. She is also a clinical associate professor of family medicine at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
She earned her medical degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and graduated from the University Hospitals Family Medicine Residency Program where she also served as chief resident.
“I found family medicine very early in my training,” Dr. Herzog explained. “And when I did, I felt like I found where I belonged – a group that was similar minded, believed in those same concepts about interfacing with your fellow humans, caring for people “like family,” and making the world better.”
Beyond her commitment to family medicine education and patient care, she is dedicated to the professional development, personal integration, and well-being of physicians. She currently serves on the Wellness branch and the Education Consult service for the OhioHealth Medical Education Committee, and has previously served on the Grant Medical Center Medical Executive committee and on the OAFP’s Family Medicine Educators Workgroup—among other committees and appointments.
“Many people talk about how you start being a better doctor when you have been a patient yourself,” said Dr. Herzog. “I think I am a better at caring for others because I was, and am, cared for by so many— especially by my family medicine family.”
Dr. Herzog lives in Bexley, OH, with her husband Timothy and has four children, Alec, Ethan, Maeve, and Giselle. She credits this recognition to them and her mother; her patients who have given her the privilege of caring for them; and the many mentors in the form of peers and residents at the Grant Family Medicine Residency Program.
“Thank you for showing me how to be a great family physician—and then recognizing me for the things I only know because of you!”
The OAFP congratulates Dr. Herzog for this honor and thanks her for exemplifying the best qualities of Ohio’s family physicians.
To learn more about the Family Physician of the Year award, please visit the OAFP website.
The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians is a statewide, professional association with more than 5,200 members, including practicing physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students. The scope of family medicine encompasses all ages, both sexes, and every disease entity. Family physicians provide comprehensive, continuing care to all members of the family. For more information, please visit www.ohioafp.org.
-30-
Editor’s Note
To receive a copy of Dr. Herzog’s photograph, please email Communications Manager Lauren Heberling.