AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Awards

Aiding underserved U.S. Patients

The Pride in the Profession Awards honor physicians whose lives encompass the true spirit of being a medical professional: caring for people. By practicing medicine in areas of challenge or crisis, or by devoting their time to volunteerism or public service, these physicians serve as the voice of patients in the United States who otherwise might not be heard.

Criteria

To qualify, nominees must:

• Promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of the public health
• Embody the values of the medical profession through leadership, service, excellence, integrity and ethical behavior
• Enrich patients, colleagues and the community through dedicated medical practice or service
• Offer better access to quality health care for an underserved patient population in the U.S.

A $2,500 grant will be given to the institution or organization with which the recipient works.  The recipient will also receive travel expenses and accommodations to the Excellence in Medicine Awards banquet on February 13, 2012 and the AMA National Advocacy Conference, February 13-15, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Improving health care globally

Named for the founder of the AMA, the Dr. Nathan Davis International Award in Medicine recognizes physicians whose influence reach the international patient population and change the future of their medical care. By treating, educating and counseling patients beyond the U.S. border, the physician’s work is having a positive impact on health care in the global arena.

Criteria

To qualify, nominees must:

• Have improved dramatically medical practice, medical education or medical research outside of the United States
• Embody the values of the medical profession through leadership, service, excellence, integrity and ethical behavior
• During a lifetime of service or in a current initiative, has benefited the health and well-being of a specific patient population

A $2,500 grant will be given to the institution or organization with which the recipient works.

The recipient will also receive travel expenses and accommodations to the Excellence in Medicine Awards banquet on February 13, 2012 and the AMA National Advocacy Conference, February 13-15, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Senior physician volunteerism

The Jack B. McConnell, MD, Award for Excellence in Volunteerism recognizes the work of senior physicians who provides treatment to U.S. patients who lack access to health care. After a full career of practice, these physicians remain dedicated to the future of medicine through the spirit of volunteerism.

Criteria

To qualify, nominees must:

• Have volunteered a significant portion of their medical services while over the age of 55.
• Demonstrate their commitment to health care access by assisting underserved U.S. patients.

A $2,500 grant will be given to the institution or organization with which the recipient works.

The recipient will also receive travel expenses and accommodations to the Excellence in Medicine Awards banquet on February 13, 2012 and the AMA National Advocacy Conference, February 13-15, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Developing leaders in medicine

An exceptional medical professional goes beyond the medical practice to positively influence health care. Through organized medicine and community activities, individuals from each stage of the physician lifecycle can—and do—make a difference in the quality of health care and the medical environment.

The Leadership Awards are presented to approximately 30 medical students, residents/fellows and early career physicians to recognize their strong, nonclinical leadership skills in advocacy, community service and/or education.

Criteria

All Leadership Awards are self-nominated, with applicants responsible for submitting all appropriate materials and documentation.

To qualify, applicants must demonstrate outstanding leadership in the areas of advocacy, community service, public health and/or education and be either:

• A medical student enrolled in an accredited medical school through 2012
• A resident physician enrolled in an accredited residency program through 2012, or a fellow physician enrolled in a fellowship program through 2012
• An early-career physician under the age of 40 or in his or her first eight years of practice following residency/fellowship

Award recipients will be invited to attend leadership development training on February 12 and 13, 2012, in Washington, D.C. This training will strengthen leadership skills and result in a greater effort to advance health care in America. Directly following the training, recipients will attend the Excellence in Medicine Awards banquet on February 13 and stay for the AMA National Advocacy Conference, February 13-15. Airfare and accommodations are provided, in addition to a nominal reimbursement to help defray travel-related costs.

Applications for the 2012 awards are no longer being accepted.  Applicants will be notified of their status in late December 2011.  Applications for the 2013 awards will be available in September 2012.

Read the bios of the 2011 Leadership Award Recipients

DR. NATHAN DAVIS INTERNATIONAL AWARD IN MEDICINE

Kathleen Casey, MD, FACS, Operation Giving Back, Chicago, IL
After a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy, Dr. Casey's desire to continue her service led to the creation of Operation Giving Back.  Launched by Dr. Casey, this American College of Surgeons program has placed countless surgeons in virtually every specialty in underserved areas throughout the world, has supported more than 100 nonprofit organizations that serve needy surgical patients and has enhanced the capacity of the U.S. to respond globally to humanitarian crises.

Mildred Olivier, MD, FACS, Midwest Glaucoma Center, Hoffman Estates, IL
Dr. Olivier's ultimate goal is to eradicate preventable blindness due to glaucoma in Haiti. She leads regular medical missions to Haiti multiple times a year, bringing medical equipment, her skills, other practitioners and training programs for the local Haitian doctors. In addition, she is working with a team to identify markers for glaucoma through registration and genetic sampling of families in Haiti with high incidence of the disease.  An estimated 17,000 patients have been helped by Dr. Olivier, her colleagues and others she has helped train.

Terrie Taylor, DO, East Lansing, Mich., Malaria Research Project, Malawi, Africa
Dedicating her life to finding a treatment for and preventing malaria, Dr. Taylor has been studying the disease in Malawi, primarily in children, for nearly 25 years. She spends six months each year living in Malawi, treating patients, performing clinical research, training physicians and medical students and studying the impact of the disease on the brain. Her work may help to unlock the mysteries of this disease.

PRIDE IN THE PROFESSION AWARD

Rodney Hood, MD, Multicultural Primary Care Medical Group, San Diego, CA
Dr. Hood has made an impact on the issue of racial and ethnic health disparities in his own community and throughout the United States. In 1994, he cofounded the Multicultural Primary Care Medical Group. This physicians group has the goals of ensuring quality health care to all segments of the community, increasing the awareness of appropriate treatments for diverse and vulnerable populations and increasing diversity with the medical field. Additionally, he works tirelessly on a national level to improve the systems that will reduce health care disparities.

Charles Moore, MD, Health Education Assessment and Leadership (HEAL), Atlanta, GA
Seeing the needs of the underserved firsthand at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Dr. Moore took it upon himself to do something to alleviate their situation. In six years, he has led the nonprofit HEAL from providing free medical screenings out of his personal vehicle to a 16,000 square foot medical facility that will begin construction in early 2011. He has recruited many volunteers to help with this effort, and the clinic has grown to serve 6,000 patients each year.

JACK B. MCCONNELL, MD AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN VOLUNTEERISM

Robert Bowers, MD, FACS, Volunteers in Medicine, Chattanooga, Inc. (VIMC), Chattanooga, TN
An activist in organized medicine and community outreach his entire career, Dr. Bowers decided he was not going to slow down as a senior physician. At age 80, he has continued his commitment to improving the health of the uninsured of Hamilton County by serving as the Medical Director of VIMC. In this volunteer position for over 6 years, Dr. Bowers played a key role in establishing the clinic's medical policies, securing medical equipment, implementing electronic medical records, creating partnerships in the health care community and recruiting volunteers. VIMC has logged over 28,000 patient visits.

View a comprehensive list of all Pride in the Profession, Dr. Nathan Davis International and Jack B. McConnell, MD Award recipients.

View a comprehensive list of all Leadership Award recipients.

View photos and videos from past award programs on the AMA Foundation Facebook page

2010 recipient information

View brief videos about the 2010 award recipients, and learn about their initiatives:

Pride in the Profession Award

Judith Broder, MD, Los Angeles – The Soldiers Project
Many people in the military are apprehensive to seek help for issues such as PTSD, depression and family problems through military channels, for fear it could adversely affect their careers.  Judith Broder, MD launched The Soldiers Project, offering free and confidential mental health services for the military and their families.  Now, there are 400 licensed therapists participating in the program, and in Southern California alone, over 300 people have consulted these therapists.  The program has expanded to Seattle, Chicago, New York City, Sacramento and San Diego. 

Javier Davila, MD, Whittier, California - American Indian Healing Center
It is a common misconception that the health care needs of the American Indian community are met through government programs.  In fact, urban American Indians are among the most medically underserved group in the nation.  Javier 'Hawk' Davila, MD recognized this need and founded the American Indian Healing Center in 2000, and serves as a medical home to over 1500 American Indians in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Dr. Nathan Davis International Award in Medicine

Richard Bransford, MD, Kijabe, Kenya, East Africa - Bethany Kids Center at Kijabe Hospital
Richard Bransford, MD has spent a lifetime in service transforming the lives of disabled children of Africa.  In 2004, he founded Bethany Kids at Kijabe, which has become known throughout Africa as a referral center for disabled children.  At fourteen outreach clinics across Kenya, nurses and doctors assess new and previously treated patients. African trainee doctors work alongside Dr. Bransford's team to learn specialized operations.  He has ensured his work is sustainable, establishing organizations to continue to fund and train surgeons in Africa. 

Jack B. McConnell, MD Award for Excellence in Volunteerism

Zaven Ayanian, MD, Red Bank, New Jersey - The Parker Family Health Center
In 2000, as the second physician volunteer to be recruited to launch the Parker Family Health Center, Zaven Ayanian, MD has been there from the beginning.  The free clinic evolved from a walk-in clinic open two nights a week into a six-day-a-week comprehensive health care source.  Now, after nine years of volunteerism, Dr. Ayanian has helped to build an organization that provides 10,000 patient visits annually with support from 200 volunteers

Robert Kendall, MD, Winchester, Virginia - Our Health, Inc. 
Robert Kendall, MD boldly envisioned a health care model that provided coordinated, collaborative, high quality health care to disadvantaged populations.  Dr. Kendall made it happen through Our Health, Inc.  Our Health provides ‘one stop shopping’ for low income, uninsured and underinsured citizens of Frederick and Clarke Counties and the city of Winchester, Virginia.  Started in 1999, Our Health links twenty-nine different agencies together.  The result is astounding – this network serves 15,000 people annually. 

Read the biographies of all 35 award recipients.

2010 recipient Judith Broder, founder of The Soldiers Project, wins the 2011 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.  Learn about her initiative

Jack B. McConnell, MD
Learn about Jack B. McConnell, MD, the namesake of the AMA Foundation’s senior physician volunteerism award and founder of Volunteers in Medicine. Note:  The first link leads to a Today Show feature from March 2009 on YouTube.com. 

Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA
2009 Pride in the Profession Award recipient Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, is the U.S. Surgeon General.  Learn more.

Pride in the Profession Award recipient profiles
A book was recently written about 14 previous Pride in the Profession Award recipients – Characteristics of Compassion: Portraits of Exemplary Physicians by Helen Meldrum.  Note:  This link leads to Amazon.com. The AMA Foundation is not affiliated with the publishing of this book and does not receive proceeds from its sale.   

“…be touched by these wonderful examples of our physician colleagues who go above and beyond practice norms for the betterment of humanity, thereby upholding the highest ideals of the medical profession.”

- William McDade, MD, PhD
Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Past Chair, AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Awards Selection Committee

Nancy Oriol, MD and Family Van
Read about 2009 award recipient Dr. Nancy Oriol’s initiative the Family Van in a recent Newsweek article. This mobile clinic provides medical screenings, education, social services and referrals to underserved neighborhoods in Boston.

“These physicians make a difference in the lives of uninsured and underinsured patients through efforts that range from providing mobile health clinics, to opening clinics in both cities and rural communities, to improving health care on a global level. They are selflessly volunteering their time, effort, knowledge and resources to improve people’s health and well being, and I can not think of a more noble calling.”

- Jean Howard
AMA Foundation Past President

The Excellence in Medicine Awards encourage involvement and service throughout the physician lifecycle – from physician-in-training to senior physician. The program shows that at every stage individuals can make a difference. Additionally, the program provides critical leadership, advocacy and communication skills to current and future physicians who are on the front lines in this pivotal time in our nation's health care system history.

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