Community Leaders Recognized at Fall Clinics

At the 48th annual Fall Clinics on Friday, September 27, the medical community recognized one physician and one community member for their outstanding contributions to the Hospital, the Community and the Medical Staff.

The Fall Clinics Committee recognized Ken Jenks as an

outstanding individual whose impact has a lasting effect on the patients and community he served. Ken is a recently retired physician assistant who practiced for more than 15 years at the Basin Clinic in Naturita. He was known for his calm, quiet, demeanor and dedication to the clinic and area patients. He and his wife Lois continue caring for others as volunteer care providers along the Juarez/El Paso border.

The “Physician of the Year” is chosen based on the on-going contribution to quality medical care, medical staff and hospital activities, community service activities and years of service. The Fall Clinics Committee highlighted the many accomplishments of this year’s recipient, Dr. Thomas (Lou) Dwyer. Dr. Dwyer is active in the community with Pope John Paul II Academy, Community Options, and with the Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association in Denver. He is a graduate of Notre Dame, and the University of Colorado, and has practiced with Western Slope Orthopaedics and at Montrose Memorial Hospital for 18 years. He and his wife Tanya have three children, Jack, Gus and Joseph.

The Fall Clinics is an annual educational conference for medical professionals, attracting providers both local and out of state. This year’s conference speakers included Dr. Martin Abrahamson, Associate Professor of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Dr. Guido Frank, Professor in Psychiatry at University of California San Diego; Dr. Peter Hountras, Associate Professor, Medicine – Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care at University of Colorado Hospital; and Dr. Rob Shmerling, Clinical Chief, Division of Rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The event serves as an opportunity to recognize Montrose’s leaders in the medical community.