St. Paul, April 29, 2025 – The Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) has named Keri Bergeson, MD, the 2025 Family Medicine Educator of the Year. This award is presented annually to an outstanding teacher of family medicine in Minnesota.
Bergeson is a dedicated leader in rural medical education and training, holding multiple key leadership roles that advance rural health care initiatives. As associate director of the Rural Medical Training Collaborative, she provides expert guidance to developing rural training programs nationwide, supports medical students pursuing rural residency opportunities and leads the only national conference dedicated to rural Graduate Medical Education (GME) development. In her role as medical director at University of Minnesota Physicians Broadway Family Medicine, she oversees clinical care and quality at a residency clinic, ensuring excellence in medical training and patient care. Additionally, as the director of rural programs for the University of Minnesota’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, she plays a critical role in shaping rural residency programs across Minnesota. Her expertise in community readiness assessments, curriculum development, funding strategies, faculty training and accreditation has been instrumental in developing three new rural residency programs while evaluating opportunities for additional initiatives. Through these leadership positions, Bergeson is actively transforming rural medical education and expanding access to high-quality health care in underserved communities.
Abdulaziz Gabow, MBBS, second-year resident, describes Bergeson as encouraging, knowledgeable and dedicated, saying she is “an outstanding mentor and educator who creates an ideal learning environment for residents. With her extensive experience and passion for teaching, she makes complex medical concepts easy to understand and apply in real-world settings. She meets (us) residents where they are in their learning journey, tailoring her guidance to their individual needs and helping them build confidence in managing patients in both clinic and hospital settings. Her supportive and approachable nature makes her easy to learn from, and she empowers residents to take ownership of patient care while ensuring they feel supported. Dr. Bergeson fosters growth not only by sharing medical knowledge but also by instilling critical thinking skills and clinical reasoning that are essential for independent practice. Her mentorship has a lasting impact, shaping residents into competent and compassionate physicians.”
The MAFP is proud to recognize Keri Bergeson, MD, for her outstanding contributions to the field of family medicine education.
About the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians
The Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) is the largest medical specialty organization in Minnesota, representing more than 3,100 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students. The MAFP promotes the specialty of family medicine in Minnesota and supports family physicians as they provide high quality, comprehensive and continuous medical care for patients of all ages.
About the MAFP Academy Awards
The MAFP recognizes its members for their hard work and dedication to family medicine via its own Academy Awards. Minnesota family physicians, residents, medical students and researchers are nominated—by educators, learners and colleagues—for a variety of awards. For the Family Medicine Educator of the Year award, nominees must be full-time, part-time or volunteer physicians from academic and clinical settings who are actively engaged in teaching. The MAFP Board of Directors selects recipients after reviewing nomination letters and credentials. More background on the awards can be found at mafp.org/awards.
Media contact: Kendra Myers, 952-224-3876, kendra@mafp.org