Family Physician Award Winners at Nebraska Medical Association’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting
Physician of the Year and Young Physician of the Year are awarded to actively practicing physicians who consistently achieves high standards in the practice of medicine and is looked upon as a role model by his or her peers.
Kevin Nohner, MD – Physician of the Year
Dr. Nohner has held several different board, committee, and administrative positions within these health systems. He is past president of both the NMA and MOMS, and represented Nebraska at the AMA for several years. Dr. Nohner graduated from the Creighton School of Medicine in 1981 and family medicine residency in 1984. He established a solo practice that grew into a small group and later became employed with Alegent/CHI Health. Dr. Nohner obtained his MBA and worked with UniNet until 2017 when he left clinical medicine to become CMO at United HealthCare. He recently moved from Omaha to Lansing, Michigan, to be closer to family and returned to clinical practice with the Sparrow Medical Group.
His nominees stated:
“Dr. Nohner has an extensive and longstanding history of dedication to organized medicine dating all the way back to his time as a young physician where he attended AMA meetings serving as Delegate to the YPS from Nebraska. His leadership continued through service on multiple local and state committees throughout MOMS and the NMA as well as the NAFP. The number of committees and task forces that he has served on, or led, for organized medicine is simply too numerous to count. In each of these roles, Dr. Nohner has provided strong leadership and a dedication to his profession and to our patients. There is very little in organized medicine in which Dr. Nohner has not been engaged.”
“Personally, Dr. Nohner has played a significant role in my professional development and the impact he has had on my career has been great. He, in his humble style, was always willing to invest time and energy into my personal and professional growth. Dr. Nohner helped me become a better physician and leader within organized medicine. True to his character, he has been more interested in benefiting and advancing the careers of numerous young physicians, residents and students than advancing his own path.”
“One last thing that makes Dr. Nohner stand out is his willingness, no insistence, on partnering with other organizations and members of the healthcare team to improve care for populations. While still focused on ensuring the strength of the physician role in the delivery of the care, his primary focus has always been on the patient. For example, his advocacy would extend beyond physician reimbursement through Medicare and Medicaid to also include critical health care resources such as home health or respite care are also reimbursed. I believe that his focus and dedication to improving access to care will define his legacy and his career.”
Josue Gutierrez, MD – Young Physician of the Year
Dr. Gutierrez is a family practice physician and owner of Saline Medical Specialties in Crete, Nebraska and owner of Innovative Clinical Solutions, LLC, a managed services organization providing independent physicians with private practice resources. He also is adjunct faculty at the Lincoln Medical Education Program in Lincoln. Dr. Gutierrez completed his undergraduate studies at the University of the Ozarks in Arkansas where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry. He attended medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed residency in Family Medicine at Lincoln Medical Education Program (LMEP). Dr. Gutierrez has had several achievements over the years. These include receiving the "Making a Difference" award from his local health department - award provided to community member engaged in making a healthier community to the 5 county area, establishing the Healthy Community Alliance free medical clinic in 2017 to provide medical services to uninsured and under-insured individuals in a 5 county area, and being selected for the 2017 NMA Leadership Academy. He is a member of the American Medical Association, Nebraska Medical Association, Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians, and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Gutierrez enjoys computer programming/building, martial arts, and expressing his culinary skills while grilling. He is married to Carmen Chinchilla and they have a daughter Rebecca.
His nominees stated:
“There is no one more dedicated or loyal to their community than Dr. Gutierrez. When the company he was working for decided to close suddenly, Josue understood the ramifications that it hold for his community in Crete. He, without hesitation, sought to open a new clinic and find partners in the community to help so that the patients and community of Crete would not be without a medical home.”
“Although taking on numerous responsibilities within his own clinic and community, he still seeks the betterment of the area around him. He has been working with OneHealth Nebraska and the minority health initiative to improve health outcomes for the state, beyond his own area. He is inspiring to the rest of the medical community to do more.”
“Dr. Gutierrez has taken the time to make informational videos in Spanish and disseminate them in the community and social media because he knew there was an information gap there and is a decent portion of his community. He was not asked to do this and was not compensated for his time. He saw a need and did what he could to address that need without prompting. That is what makes a leader.”
