After more than 35 years of outstanding service, FCM's Larry Moher, MD, professor and assistant dean, Student Affairs, is retiring. Dr. Moher joined COM-Tucson and FCM in 1982 as an adjunct assistant professor. Over his many years at COM-Tucson, Dr. Moher has received a number of awards recognizing his excellence in teaching and compassion in medicine, including the Outstanding Humanism in Medicine Award and the Clinical Sciences Educator of the Year Award.
“For more than 35 years, Dr. Moher has embodied what it means to be a family physician. He has provided care for patients in remote communities from the Pacific Rim islands to the Native American tribal communities in Northern Arizona, to the underserved in our Tucson community” said Myra Muramoto, MD, MPH, professor and FCM chair.
Between 1987 and 2018, Dr. Moher served as medical director of the College of Medicine – Tucson Commitment to Underserved People (CUP) program, which gives medical students the opportunity to provide free medical care and education to underserved people in Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Dr. Moher also helped implement and run the first comprehensive support and mental health services program for medical students. As Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, he has provided personal counseling to medical students and residents. Because of these efforts, medical students regularly receive free counseling and are offered other mental and physical well-being resources.
"Dr. Moher was a family doctor before there was Family Medicine," said Ronald E. Pust, MD, professor emeritus. "He practiced emergency medicine before there was Emergency Medicine. And his greatest legacy, from his third board specialty in Preventive Medicine, are the tragedies, that Dr. Moher as a student counselor and mentor, headed off at the pass. He is, and will always be, one of our FCM grandfathers at the University of Arizona."
Dr. Moher has been an exemplary educator, as well. He has taught residents in inpatient, outpatient, OB and ICU care. He was also a course director to medical students in the areas of: community-oriented primary care, social and behavioral sciences, and personal and professional development.
"My goal has been to help train and develop medical students and residents to become competent, caring, and compassionate physicians," said Dr. Moher.
Prior to joining the UA, Dr. Moher practiced in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. He also worked in northern Arizona, including at the Keams Canyon Indian Hospital and the Phoenix Area Indian Health Service.
“His years of dedication and passion as a physician, teacher, mentor, and advocate for the next generation of doctors is inspiring. It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Moher through the years, and we are so grateful for his service,” said Dr. Muramoto.
Pictured above: Dr. Moher and Dr. Pust