2019 Phillips Medal Recipient

Phillips Medal

2019 Recipient

Theodore E. Wymyslo, M.D., FAAFP

Theodore E. (Ted) Wymyslo, M.D., FAAFP, received his medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed family medicine residency training at Mount Carmel Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. With over 30 years of experience as a clinician, he has also held leadership roles in family practice residency training, medical student teaching, local and state professional associations, free clinic and homeless shelter health care delivery, public health and Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) advocacy across the state of Ohio and the nation.

He is past director of the Ohio Department of Health (2011-2014), appointed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich. As ODH director, Dr. Wymyslo established the Ohio Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative in 2011 to effect statewide implementation of the PCMH delivery model. He helped lead the development of statewide opioid prescribing guidelines, modernization of maternity and newborn nursery rules, the mandated accreditation for all Ohio local health departments, and interventions to address the infant mortality challenge. With this combined primary care and public health experience, he has championed the need for integration of public health and primary care to improve population health.

Since 2014, he has served as the chief medical officer of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers with 55 Federally Qualified Health Center members serving over 800,000 patients in 345 sites across the state, 172 of which are PCMH-recognized. Dr. Wymyslo sits on the Better Health Partnership Board of Trustees and the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Advisory Board. He has received numerous service and leadership recognition awards, including the first Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative Primary Care Community Leadership Award, the Ohio State Medical Association 2014 Physician Advocate of the Year Award and 2019 President’s Distinguished Service Citation, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials 2011 State Innovation Award for Infant Mortality efforts, the American Medical Association Foundation Pride in the Profession Award for public service, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians Torchlight Leadership Achievement Award, and the 2015 American Academy of Family Physicians Public Health Award.