Chris VandeLunde, D.O.’01, was named the 2016-17 Iowa Family Physician of the Year by the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP), an award that’s presented annually to one outstanding family physician within the state who best exemplifies the tradition of family medicine. Recipients must be IAFP members who spend at least 50 percent of their time in direct patient care; maintain an active office and hospital practice; be active within the community; and not have any immediate plans to retire or relocate. He received the award on Nov. 4 during the annual IAFP installation and awards banquet in Des Moines. VandeLunde has been in family practice at Cherokee Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Cherokee, IA, since 2004. He completed his residency at the Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education, where he served as chief resident physician. At CRMC, he has built a thriving family practice that currently serves an average of 55 patients per day. He is fully involved in obstetrics with approximately 100 deliveries per year. He also performs endoscopies for the service area conducting nearly 400 procedures annually. A member of American Association of Family Practitioners, American Osteopathic Association, American Medical Association and the Iowa Medical Society, VandeLune is the emergency medical services director for Cherokee County, chief of staff for CRMC and a team physician for Washington High School. He and his wife, Lisa, are very active in the lives of their seven teenaged children.
Read more about the Iowa Family Physician of the Year here.
