He was presented with the award during a luncheon on Friday, July 30^th in Rapid City.

In the nomination letter sent to the American Academy of Family Physicians for the 2000 AAFP Family Physician of the Year Award (a national competition!), Steve was explained in this way:

"If there were a dictionary entry for ‘Rural Family Physician’ the definition

would be ‘Dr. Stephan Schroeder of Miller, SD.’

Steve was born in Miller, South Dakota, a rural community in the central part of our state. Following high school, he attended the University of South Dakota, earning a BS in Biology and a BS in Medicine. He moved to Minnesota, earning his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Minnesota , and then went on to complete a family practice residency at the Hennepin County Medical Center. Steve had always planned to return to his native Miller, South Dakota, following graduation, and that’s exactly what he did, having practiced there now for nineteen years.

Dr. Schroeder joined the AAFP and the SDAFP in 1980, and has remained active to the present time. He has served on all SDAFP committees, and has climbed the ranks, serving as our President in 1991-92. He has represented us well at numerous national and state-wide meetings, including intra-organizational workgroups with the Department of Health and the residency programs to name only a few. He has also served as one of our Alternate Delegates since 1996. He currently serves as President of the South Dakota Foundation for Family Medicine. In addition, Steve has been very active politically, serving on the state’s Political Action Committee Board of Directors for several years. Besides climbing the ranks in the Academy, Steve has also climbed the ranks in the South Dakota State Medical Association, serving as their President in 1997-98.

Besides being a member of medical organizations, and "doing" for them, Steve has been actively involved in his community. He has been instrumental in our state’s childhood immunization program. He has traveled throughout the state, working with the Department of Health, to assess communities needs for physicians, and then has actively helped recruit physicians to those areas. At the time he was attending the University of South Dakota School of Medicine, they only offered a two-year program, so he chose to complete his four-year medical school training at the University of Minnesota. He has been an avid supporter of both the medical school and the family practice residencies in the state, campaigning for state funding, and supporting their needs. Steve has served as a Clinical Associate Professor for the USD School of Medicine for a number of years, and receives very complimentary comments on evaluation forms.

Steve is a member of the St. Ann’s Parish Choir and also serves as a Religion Instructor. He belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Kiwanis Club. He serves as an official

for the South Dakota High School Activities Association, and is a licensed amateur radio operator. He serves as the team physician for the Miller High School athletic teams, and as a volunteer instructor for his area’s ambulance crew continuing education. He is also involved in the Boy Scout program, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Hand County State Bank.