Prestigious honor celebrates decades of Fauth’s commitment and service to her profession, peers and her mission of care.

Hood River, Ore. (April 18, 2018) — Sitting in the annual meeting last Saturday at the state chapter of her medical profession, Molly Fauth, MD had no idea what was about to happen. Fauth, who has been a family medicine provider at One Community Health (OCH) since 2005, had made the trip to Portland to attend the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) Family Medicine Weekend. To her total surprise, Fauth came away receiving a top honor in her state and her field—the prestigious 2018 Oregon Family Doctor of the Year Award.

“Imagine listening to a presentation you always look forward to hearing because the amazing people who win this award inspire you every year to work harder, try new things, and be better at what you do,” Fauth says. “Now, imagine your surprise when the opening comments about this year’s winner are quotes from an editorial you wrote to your local newspaper. As it slowly dawned on me that the presenter was talking about me, I was overcome by a number of several emotions: Disbelief. Excitement. Humility. Pride in our community. Gratitude for being able to be a part of that community.”

The 2018 Oregon Family Doctor of the Year Award celebrates physicians who provide compassionate, comprehensive family medicine on a continuing basis; are involved in community affairs; and who provide a credible role model professionally and personally to their community, other health professionals, and residents and medical students. The OAFP has chosen a family physician of the year from its membership since 1980. The OAFP receives and requires nominations from the physician’s colleagues, patients, community leaders and friends. This year, a multitude of nominations poured in on behalf of Fauth, who has come to be well known for her energetic, genuine commitment to making her world a better place, whether that’s been at work as a family health provider, at home, in her church, or at myriad volunteer events and endeavors that have strengthened the Columbia Gorge region.

“With the number of nominations we received for Dr. Fauth all lauding her accomplishments along with her kindness, we knew selecting Molly as our Doctor of the Year was the right choice,” says Kerry Gonzales, OAFP’s executive director.

Fauth received a bachelor’s degree from Linfield College and a medical degree from the University of New Mexico before completing her residency at Cascades East Family Practice in Klamath Falls, Ore. In addition to being deeply passionate about the medical field, she’s particularly interested and skilled in obstetrics/gynecology/prenatal medicine, pediatrics, diabetes, preventative medicine, family health and farmworker health. Bilingual in Spanish, Fauth moved to Hood River in 2005 specifically to work at OCH, which was then called La Clinica del Cariño. She’s played a vital role in supporting OCH’s mission to provide health and wellness for all members of the Columbia River Gorge community. Now, in winning the highly revered 2018 Oregon Family Doctor of the Year Award, it’s clear that her community has great gratitude for Fauth. A group of friends, family members and fellow medical providers were on hand after the award ceremony to help her celebrate. But the gratitude and joy didn’t end there. After receiving the award, 100+ professional and personal peers packed the Hood River Elk’s Club to surprise Fauth with an award party unlike any other. Friends and family members dressed Fauth like Wonder Woman, symbolizing her strength and impact. A crew of those who planned the celebration also dressed up in Wonder Woman attire and put on a line dance performance, pulling Fauth into the fun, of course. On hand was local band Funkship, playing tunes for the energetic crowd. The evening was an ideal testimony to all the lives Fauth has touched, particularly all the people and patients she has helped over the decades.

“I am proud and thankful to be honored by this prestigious award,” Fauth says. “Winning this award is especially meaningful because it shows me that the love I have for my community is reciprocated in kind. By that same token, the celebration and honor of this award really should be shared by everyone who touches my life. In this current time of high reports of physician burnout, I am blessed to be working in an environment that supports and inspires me. I am eternally grateful to Tina Castañares, MD, who shared in the vision of One Community Health so long ago and had the strength and willpower to make it a reality, thus creating my dream job. I am thankful for OCH’s CEO, Dave Edwards, for his steady leadership and strong sense of mission and allowing us to do what is best for our patients. I am blessed by my OCH colleagues, who motivate me daily to go the extra mile and be a better family doctor. I am thankful for my clinic team, all of whom have the same dedication and compassion for our patients as I do. Above all, I am honored by and grateful for my patients, who choose me to be a part of their family and their life—they have made everything I’ve been able to do worthwhile.”