Highland Park Doctor At Lake Forest Hospital Wins IAFP Distinguished Service Award

LAKE FOREST, IL — The Illinois Association of Family Physicians last month awarded a Highland Park resident and Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital doctor with its distinguished service award, its highest honor for contributions to family medicine.

Dr. Deborah Clements, a motorcycle enthusiast, dog-lover and sports fan, entered the field of medicine relatively late. As a widowed mother of three, she entered medical school at the age of 33 after a nursing school instructor provided some encouragement.

Clements, a Chicago native, began her career working for the American Academy of Family Physicians, then became a professor at the family medicine residency program at the University of Kansas Medical Center. In 2013, she returned to the Chicago area to join Northwestern University's medical school.

“The ability to impact lives is what drives me; it’s what drives all of us,” Clements said. “And combining my passion for family medicine and teaching brings me fulfillment every day.”

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Under Clements' guidance, Northwestern's medical school has expanded from one to three family medicine residency programs. According to Northwestern, there were zero family medicine residents in 2009. Next year, 72 are set to complete their training.

In partnership with Erie Health Center, Clements also served as the group lead for a federally qualified health center in Waukegan. Clements staffed the center with residents providing care to patients, many of whom were getting their first opportunity to establish a relationship with a primary care physician, according to Northwestern Medicine.

Jeffrey Kopin, Northwestern Medicine's senior vice president for the north region, said Clements is the model of an ideal family physician and is well-known in the community for her compassion and clinical skill.

“Dr. Clements sets the standard for family medicine as a role model for her trainees and practicing physicians," Kopin said. “Northwestern traditionally was not known as a Family Medicine-friendly academic medical center. Deb changed that."

Clements was nominated for the award by Dr. Anna Shannahan, one of her former residents and a board member of the family physicians association.

“During medical school at Northwestern, I was immediately interested in family medicine. However, there was not much exposure to the specialty at the time,” Shannahan said.

“Luckily, Dr. Clements arrived to chair the department, and her mentorship kept me motivated and inspired to pursue the specialty that I now love so dearly," she added. "In fact, her guidance and vision made such a difference to me that I stayed at Northwestern Medicine for residency and then continued on as a family medicine attending.”

Clements was presented with the award, the family physician group's first since 2019, on an Oct. 21 Northwestern meeting, according to the association. According to the association, she expressed deep gratitude for the students and residents she has mentored during her career in remarks as she accepted the prestigious honor.

"Receiving this award falls squarely in the category of 'amazing things you never thought would happen.' I believe that if you’re lucky, as you age, the list of amazing things you never imagined would happen gets longer and longer," Clements said.

"One of my greatest joys in life is witnessing the unfolding of the careers of our students and residents," she continued, according to the association. "You give me a reason to do this job every single day. You give me hope for our future in family medicine. I wish all of you more amazing things than you can even imagine."