For immediate release: May 18, 2007
Contact: Emily Wofford Cobb
Public Relations Manager
775-784-6006
ecobb@medicine.nevada.edu
University of Nevada School of Medicine student and faculty member receive Humanism in Medicine Awards
Recipients honored at annual Student-Faculty Award Ceremony
RENO, Nev.—Two members of the University of Nevada School of Medicine community were honored with the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation during the school’s annual Student-Faculty Awards Ceremony on Thursday night. Fourth-year medical student Angela Weiner and David Gremse, M.D., professor and chair of the Las Vegas pediatrics department, were selected as the school’s 2007 Humanism in Medicine Award recipients.
The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award honors graduating medical students and physicians who embrace compassion and sensitivity in the delivery of care to patients and their family members. Each year, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation recognizes students and faculty members at more than 80 medical schools across the country.
Weiner, a member of the graduating Class of 2007, was selected for the award for her dedication to clinical care and her rich history working both as a neonatal nurse practioner and as a registered nurse. During her four years at the University of Nevada School of Medicine Weiner served three years as her class vice president and was also an active member of the Student Assistance Committee, the School of Medicine’s peer support group. During the 2005 Clinician’s Ceremony, Weiner was selected by her colleagues to receive two Professionalism in Medicine Awards and, at that time, became a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Weiner will begin her pediatrics residency training in July at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Gremse, who will also be honored this week as the keynote speaker for the Class of 2007 commencement ceremony, was selected for the award for his dedication to pediatric patient care. Before joining the School of Medicine and serving as chair of the pediatrics department, Gremse served as professor and interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. He is respected by his peers and has received many awards for his work including being named one of “America’s Top Pediatricians” by the Consumer’s Research Council of America. Last year, Gremse’s teaching ability was recognized by the Class of 2006 which selected him as the School of Medicine’s “Outstanding Full-Time Teacher in Las Vegas.”
Humanism in Medicine Award recipients are named members of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, an international society with 65 established chapters. As members, the awardees have the opportunity to attend biennial conferences which focus on sustaining the humanism they bring to patient care.
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation advances humanism in medicine, perpetuating the tradition of the caring doctor. Through innovative medical education, the Foundation promotes and affirms more compassionate medical care and caregivers. The University of Nevada School of Medicine has been one the leading advocates for humanism initiatives in western medical schools. In fact, Nevada’s medical school was one of the first institutions to adopt the White Coat Ceremony, a program of the Foundation which welcomes incoming medical students and helps establish a psychological contract for the practice of medicine and emphasizes the importance of compassionate patient care.
As the state’s only public medical school, the University of Nevada School of Medicine has been meeting statewide healthcare, educational, and clinical needs since 1969. The School of Medicine encompasses 16 clinical medical education departments, including Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Surgery, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, as well as ten nationally-recognized departments within basic science including microbiology and biomedical engineering. As the largest multi-specialty healthcare focus within the state, the School of Medicine employs more than 185 doctors who both teach and practice medicine throughout Nevada. The school’s statewide faculty physician practice group has a combined 25 different medical specialties with seven physician practice offices located in the Reno-Sparks area and five physician offices located in Las Vegas.
The University of Nevada School of Medicine utilizes a best-practice approach to medicine and is committed to addressing the health needs of Nevada now and in the future. For more information, please visit www.medicine.nevada.edu.
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