Marianito O. Asperilla, MD, FACP is an active member in the departments of Internal Medicine at Fawcett Memorial Hospital, Bayfront Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, Florida. He is the founder of ACCESS Care and devoted his life to providing free medical treatment to care for thousands of underserved people in Peru, Guatemala, Philippines, Colombia, and Haiti. He co-founded V.B. Andes Clinic in Charlotte County for the poor and uninsured patients. Dr. Asperilla has founded many community service organizations in Florida including the Charlotte County HIV Clinic, the Charlotte County Hepatitis C Clinic, the FEMA Clinic, and the Engelwood Community Clinic. He was recently inducted into the Caring Hall of Fame at the Frederick Douglas Museum in Washington, DC.
The Oscar E. Edwards Memorial Award was established by the Board of Regents on October 30, 1998 to honor the late Dr. Edwards, a Governor and Regent of the College. It is bestowed upon an ACP Medical Student Member, Associate, Member, Fellow, or Master who has initiated or been involved in volunteer programs or has provided volunteer service post-training.