Selected for helping shape South Dakota and the nation for a better tomorrow, Dr. Tom Dean of Wessington Springs is among the ten newest inductees into the South Dakota Hall of Fame.
Dr. Dean was inducted for not only his numerous accomplishments in the field of family medicine, but also his dedication to philanthropy and a wide variety of leadership roles he has served locally, regionally and nationally.
Throughout the 40 years Dr. Dean practiced family medicine in Wessington Springs, he never lost sight of what he calls the most rewarding and important aspect of his field: knowing the patient’s story and developing long term relationships in order to make better clinical decisions. He often says that patient care is at its prime when it is coordinated and cohesive, frequently pointing out that “you can’t treat human beings like parts of a car.”
In 2007, Dr. Dean was appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (Med PAC). The policies recommended by Med PAC and the weight they carry with Congress helped him bring rural health care front and center in Washington. His work on Med PAC affected major positive change in rural health policy and to date, Dr. Dean is the only South Dakotan to ever serve on the commission.
In 2009, Dr. Dean was named the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Practitioner of the Year. Ironically, several years prior, he was on the committee that selected the recipient. In his customary humble approach he said, “I certainly at that time had no thought of ever being selected for the honor.”
In 2020 at the height of thepandemic,thelongtime Jerauld County physician once again emerged as a leader, serving as a local and trusted voice through a weekly column in the True Dakotan newspaper.
Through that column, he was discovered by an Associated Press reporter and became a household name across the nation, sought after as a source of assurance and expertise when it came to Covid-19 in rural communities. He appeared in news stories across 600 media outlets including NPR, a podcast with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, NBC Nightly News, CNN, CNBC, CBS, The Today Show, Washington Post and French daily newspaper of record, Le Monde.
Even in his retirement, Dr. Dean is passionate about staying active when it comes to studying and hopefully helping solve the cost control aspect of health care. When reflecting on the past 40 years and looking to the future, a simple truth rings true for Dr. Dean: the rewards of being a part of the community he is proud of and contributing to the long term health and stability of that community.
The Class of 2023 will be celebrated at the Honors Ceremony September 8 and 9, 2023 in Chamberlain/Oacoma. The public is invited to attend.
