NAH announces recipient of the 2023 Nate Avery Physician of the Year award

Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) recently announced that Anne Richter, MD, was awarded Flagstaff Medical Center’s (FMC) 2023 Nate Avery Physician of the Year award. The award aims to select a physician who not only excels at patient care, but who goes above and beyond patient experience and quality, and is an engaged member of the community. Dr. Richter has worked for NAH for 16 years, and has been the emergency department medical director since 2020.

This distinguished award is named after Nate Avery, a neurosurgeon born and raised in Flagstaff who also practiced at FMC. Avery passed in 2012, leaving behind a legacy of kindness, empathy and giving. This legacy continues to influence the values and culture of NAH as it seeks to improve health and heal people. This year the FMC Physician of the Year award had a theme of “HEAL: Healing, Excellence and Leadership.”

“We are so proud to have presented this prestigious award to Dr. Richter, a driving force at NAH who works tirelessly to care for the community,” said NAH Chief Medical Officer Derek Feuquay, MD. “Her exemplary leadership and dedication to the task at hand help bring staff morale up, while also being an advocate for patients on a daily basis. Dr. Richter has consistently proven that she is the most deserving person to receive this year’s award,” Dr. Feuquay added.

Dr. Richter received her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City. She completed her emergency medicine residency at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. She became the emergency department chair in 2013 and served for seven years before becoming medical director.

FMC colleagues nominated providers who exemplify these values and submitted comments with their nominations. These nominations were reviewed by FMC medical staff members, including Chief of Staff Mark Lindstrom, DO; Vice Chief of Staff Anthony Gallo, MD; Secretary Robert Berger, MD; and Select Committee Chairmen John Marvel, DO and Jeremy Nielsen, MD.

NAH remains committed to providing the highest quality health care to its patients and communities in northern Arizona for more than 50 years. NAH is proud of its physician partners and the excellent care they provide to the community each and every day.