Ronald L. Cook, DO, MBA, of Lubbock, Texas, has been awarded the highest honor among Texas family doctors by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians. He was named the 2023 Texas Family Physician of the Year during TAFP’s Annual Session and Primary Care Summit in Grapevine on Nov. 11. Each year, patients and physicians nominate extraordinary family physicians throughout Texas who symbolize excellence and dedication in family medicine. A panel of TAFP members chooses one as the family physician of the year.
Cook served as a local expert for much of West Texas during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, participating in local press conferences to inform the public on protecting their households against the novel virus. In accepting the award, he thanked his family, his coworkers, and the public health team in Lubbock who worked with him during COVID.
“That was a lot of work, but we just showed up to do our work,” Cook said. “That’s just what we do as family physicians, and who better to do it? Who better to lead than those of us who have this broad training that can do anything and everything that you ask us to do?”
He also thanked his patients. “I have patients that I have had in my patient panel since I was a resident 30 years ago, and I love them dearly. I’ve been to funerals, I’ve been to weddings, I’ve given funerals, I’ve given weddings to these people, and we’re just part of the family. Those are the most important people to us. And thanks to the God above, my father in Heaven who gave me the curiosity to do what I do. Thanks so much. I appreciate this.”
Cook is Chief Health Officer at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a tenured professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He has served as Medical Director for the City of Lubbock Health Department since 2015 and Health Authority for the city since 2009. Despite his many administrative responsibilities with the university, Cook has maintained a large and loyal panel of patients, as well as provided inpatient coverage as an attending with the Texas Tech Family Medicine Residency Program in Lubbock.
Family physicians like Cook are qualified to work in all major medical areas and trained to treat more than 90% of all cases they encounter. Family physicians care for patients of all ages.
The Texas Academy of Family Physicians is the premier membership organization dedicated to uniting the family doctors of Texas through advocacy, education, and member services, and empowering them to provide a medical home for patients of all ages. It has 33 local chapters and is a chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Visit www.tafp.org for more information.