Former Moultrie physician receives award for lifetime contributions

Kevin Hall, The Moultrie Observer, Ga.
·2 min read

Jan. 29—BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Lanny R. Copeland, MD, FAAFP, received the 2023 John G. Walsh Award for Lifetime Contributions to Family Medicine, given by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The AAFP has a membership of more than 130,000 family physicians, residents, and medical students. This award honors family physicians whose dedication and effective leadership have advanced family medicine.

Copeland, who practiced medicine in Moultrie from 1976 through 1994, has served as a rural family physician in Indiana and Georgia, where he practiced full-scope family medicine, delivering more than 1,500 babies.

Additionally, he launched the Southwest Georgia Family Medicine Residency Program located in Albany, Georgia, specifically designed to prepare residents for practice in rural and underserved areas.

He served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Family Medicine from 1989-1994 including as president 1993-1994. Subsequently he served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians from 1994-2000, including as president-elect, president, and board chair from 1997-2000, respectively.

From 2007 until retirement in 2013, he was corporate chief medical officer of Lifepoint Health, which owned and operated approximately 60 hospitals, mainly in rural areas.

From 2008-2012 he was listed as a member of the "50 Most Influential Physician Executives in the United States" named by Modern Healthcare, ranking at No. 8 in 2012, his last full year prior to retirement.

The John G. Walsh award honors those individuals whose dedication and effective leadership has furthered the development of family medicine.

It recognizes long-term dedication, rather than any single significant contribution, and effective leadership toward furthering the development of family medicine. It is designed to be the highest honor presented by the AAFP, with the exception of honorary membership. The award will not necessarily be granted on a regular basis but will be awarded at the discretion of the Board.

Copeland is a 1962 graduate of Cross Plains, Indiana High School, Georgetown College, Kentucky in 1966, and the University of Louisville, Kentucky in 1971. He is currently retired and resides with his wife, Mica Bayne Copeland, in Brentwood, Tennessee.