Georgia Chapter American College of Physicians Annual Meeting
2008 Awards

Community-based Teaching Award

The community-based teaching award recognizes physicians with sustained and significant impact on medical students, residents, and other medical professionals as teachers in the community. The recipients are truly role models who teach students the highest standards of our profession by the way they practice medicine every day. These teachers play a central role in attracting compassionate, bright and enthusiastic medical students to the specialty of internal medicine.

Barry Silverman 2007
John Cope 2006
Jim Hotz 2005
Henry Patton 2004

J. W. Hurst Teacher Award

The J. Willis Hurst Bedside Teacher Award was established in 1991 to honor a Georgia member or Fellow in the College for his or her outstanding teaching activities, especially related to medical students and house staff. The award is named after J. Willis Hurst, M.D., former Chair of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine whose dedication to instilling principles of lifelong learning brought him worldwide recognition as a gifted and influential teacher.

J. Willis Hurst, M.D. , Emory 1991
Robert Dibenedetto, M.D., Savannah Memorial Hospital 1992
Mark E. Silverman, M.D., Emory And Piedmont Hospital 1993
Ruth-Marie E. Fincher, M.D., Medical College Of Georgia 1994
John Cantwell, M.D., Georgia Baptist Hospital 1995
Ed Grimsley, M.D., Savannah Memorial Hospital 1996
Harold Katner, M.D., Mercer University School of Medicine 1997
Guillermo Umpierrez, M.D., Georgia Baptist Medical Center 1998
Lt. Col. William Brown, M.D., Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center 1999
Joyce Doyle, M.D., Emory University School of Medicine 2000
T. Andrew Albritton, M.D., Medical College of Georgia 2001
Walter Moore, M.D., Medical College of Georgia 2002
James T. Waller, M.D., Medical College of Georgia 2003
Harold Szerlip, MD, FACP,Medical College of Georgia 2004
John F. Fischer, MD, FACP 2005
John A. Hudson, MD, FACP 2006
Chinedu C. Ivonye, MBBS, FACP 2007
Lisa Bernstein, MD 2008

Community Service-Volunteerism Award

The Volunteerism Award, established in 1999, recognizes Chapter members who have made exemplary contributions in volunteerism and community service activities. The recipient is selected based not only on the significance of contributions, but also on the degree to which the individual reflects the quality of selfless devotion to the welfare of others. The GA chapter has given this award six times.

Bernard Scoggins, MD 2001
Richard Fullerton, MD 2002
Jacqueline W. Fincher, MD, FACP 2003
Ruth M. Parker, MD, FACP 2005
Richard D. Levere, MD, FACP 2006
Jada Bussey-Jones, MD 2007
Henry M. Patton, MD, FACP 2008

Laureate Award Winners

The Laureate Award honors those Fellows and Masters of the American College of Physicians who have demonstrated by their example and conduct an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education, or research, and in service to their community, their Chapter, and the American College of Physicians.

Awards shall be made at the annual chapter meeting. The awardee should accept this recognition in person, unless excused by the Governor. The awardee is to be nominated by a process that can originate from the Awards Committee or any member of the Chapter. The nomination must document the personal attributes and accomplishments of the nominee.

Awardees generally are senior physicians who have been Fellows for at least 15 to 20 years, with a long history of excellence and peer approval in the specialty of internal medicine. Additionally, they should have served their chapter with distinction or in some clearly definable manner. Exceptional circumstances may modify these requirements.

The Georgia Chapter is pleased to honor Fellows and Masters who have been long-standing and loyal supporters of the American College of Physicians, have rendered distinguished service to the Chapter, and have upheld the high ideals and professional standards for which the American College of Physicians is known.

Carter C. Smith, Sr., M.D. 1987
Williams C. Waters, III, M.D. 1988
Waddell Barnes, M.D. 1988
Ralph Murphy, M.D. 1989
Charles Hollis, M.D. 1990
Linton Bishop, M.D. 1991
Tully Blalock, M.D. 1992
Paul Jurgenson, M.D. 1992
Robert Copeland, M.D. 1993
Louis Felder, M.D. 1994
Frances Fitzhugh, M.D. 1994
Joe Turner, M.D. 1994
Sherwood Jones, M.D. 1994
Charles Harrison, M.D. 1995
Louis Battey, M.D. 1996
Benjamin B. Okel, M.D. 1997
Charles Upshaw, M.D. 1998
Mark E. Silverman, M.D. 1999
Sandra Fryhofer, M.D. 2000
Joel D. Todino, M.D. 2001
Vincent Nicolais, M.D. 2002
Joseph W. Stubbs, MD, FACP 2003
Barry Silverman, MD, FACP 2004
J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD, FACP 2005
Robert J. DiBenedetto, MD, FACP 2006
Jacqueline W. Fincher, MD, FACP 2007
Ruth-Marie E. Fincer, MD, FACP 2008

Leadership Award

The Georgia Chapter seeks to give the Leadership Award to prominent leaders whose contributions embody the core principles of the ACP to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care, public health policy, and/or medical education. The recipient receives the award at the annual state meeting where he/she is invited to deliver the keynote address on a subject related to the line of work that led to receiving the award.

David Satcher, MD 2004
Julie L. Gerberding, MD 2005
R. Kirby Godsey, PhD 2006
Hamilton Jordan, Sr. 2007
James A. Hotz, MD 2008

Page updated: 3/27/08

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Contact Information

Vincent Nicolais, MD, FACP,
Governor, Georgia Chapter

Karen Townsend
Executive Director
Ph: 770-693-9973
Georgia Chapter

Michelle Dietz
Administrative Assistant
Ph: 770-920-6995