Van Winkle elected to AAFP Board of Directors

TAFP’s 2010-2011 Family Physician of the Year, Lloyd Van Winkle, M.D., has won his bid to serve on the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians. The announcement was made during the 2012 AAFP Congress of Delegates on Wednesday, Oct. 17, in Philadelphia, Pa. He will serve a three-year term on the board, advocating on behalf of family physicians and patients to inspire positive change in the U.S. health care system.

“I look forward to being able to serve the American Academy at the board level and be involved in the governance of medicine, and effect the legislation that influences our practices every day,” Van Winkle said in a video posted on the AAFP website.

Van Winkle has been a family physician in solo practice in rural Castroville for 27 years. He also serves as a clinical associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. In addition, Van Winkle is the health officer for Castroville and its neighboring community, La Coste, and served as medical director of the Medina Valley Emergency Medical Service for more than 25 years. He is an aviation medical examiner and a quality reviewer for Texas Medical Foundation Health Quality Institute. He also provides expert testimony for Texas Medical Liability Trust, defending family physicians in medical malpractice litigation.

A member of the AAFP since 1985, Van Winkle served as a delegate and alternate delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates for 10 years. He also has served on the AAFP Commission on Membership and Member Services, and as chair of the AAFP Committee on Communications and the Subcommittee on Awards.

Van Winkle served as president of TAFP in 2000 and 2001, and served on numerous committees and commissions over the years. He also served as chair of TAFP’s Political Action Committee Board of Directors.

An active member of his community, Van Winkle sponsors children’s baseball, soccer, and basketball teams, and serves as a volunteer physician at the annual marathon in San Antonio. He has provided free care for many patients at VITAS Innovative Hospice Care of Texas, where he now serves as a part-time attending physician. Van Winkle also has precepted medical students in his office for more than 20 years, mentoring the next generation of family physicians.