who will stay with it through the procedural grind. What This Victory Says About Membership and Advocacy In the end, the elimination of healthcare non-competes in Utah is a story about legislation. But it is also a story about organized medicine at its most effective. The issue surfaced because physicians spoke up. It advanced because a state chapter listened, investigated and acted. It gained strength through members’ participation in organized advocacy spaces, including the UMA House of Delegates, and it crossed the finish line because coalition partners, legislative allies and health professionals across disciplines kept pushing together. For UAFP members, this law is a particularly vivid example of what advocacy infrastructure actually does. Membership dues do not just support abstract representation. They enable a chapter to track policy, cultivate relationships, identify opportunities, draft proposals, coordinate testimony and navigate the mechanics of lawmaking. Martindale sees that connection clearly, as well as a broader lesson: Physicians cannot afford to sit out policy. “I couldn’t do this job if I didn’t have physician input,” she said. That may be the central takeaway from the bill’s journey. Laws are shaped not only by lobbyists, legislators and institutions. They are often shaped by clinicians who notice a problem, name it and trust their professional organizations enough to carry it forward. A concern raised by two physicians became a statewide reform affecting the future of healthcare employment in Utah. That is what it looks like when engagement turns into policy, and policy turns into law. 2026 Student and Resident Awards Each year, UAFP recognizes an outstanding graduating medical student from each of our three medical schools in Utah who has matched into family medicine. All three of these accomplished future family medicine physicians have shown evidence of active student leadership in family medicine activities and demonstrated evidence of superior scholastic achievement in their medical school studies, particularly in the field of family medicine. Congratulations to the following students: • The Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Distinguished Family Medicine Scholar award was given to Hannah Berhow, who matched at Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program, Rochester, Minnesota. • The Outstanding Senior Award at Rocky Vista University — Southern Utah Campus was given to Anson Nebeker, who has matched into family medicine at Utah Valley Family Medicine Residency here in Provo, Utah. • At the University of Utah, the F. Marian Bishop Award was awarded to Spencer Barlow, who will be starting his residency with the University of Arizona/Banner Health Family Medicine Residency Program, Phoenix, Arizona. 12
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