Awards dinner to benefit the George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund
Contact: Todd Harper
Phone: 317-630-7808
Pager: 317-310-5972
A young anesthesiologist who dedicated his life to mentoring students and providing relief in medically underserved countries, a surgeon who spent his career teaching and training future physicians, and a locally-based global corporation that works to advance the development of innovative medicines will be honored at this year’s Rawls Scholarship Dinner.
The awards dinner will be held Thursday evening, October 16, with funds raised from the event benefiting the George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund Endowment. The ninth annual event, sponsored by Roche Diagnostics, Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, and USA Funds, will be held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, bringing community members together to celebrate the contributions of those who have made a difference in the public health community.
At the dinner, three public health leaders will be recognized for their contributions to improving healthcare to those most in need. The award recipients include Keith J. Woodard, M.D.; Raymond O. Pierce Jr., M.D.; and Eli Lilly and Company Foundation. Proceeds from the event will help provide full tuition scholarships to the IU School of Medicine for underrepresented minority students from Indiana who aspire to become physicians.
“The Rawls Scholarship program enables us to keep in Indiana our best minds and brightest students. These accomplished scholars are the State’s future leaders in medicine. The Rawls Scholarship program will increase geometrically the number of minority physicians in our community,” said Matthew R. Gutwein, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County. “The Rawls Scholarship Dinner offers an excellent opportunity to recognize the contributions of our public health leaders and to expand the Rawls Scholarship program.”
In Indiana, less than four percent of physicians are African American and less than three percent are Hispanic. At Wishard Health Services, for example, more than 46 percent of the patients cared for are African American and at several of Wishard's community health centers, more than 30 percent of patients are Hispanic. Research consistently demonstrates patients treated by a physician of similar culture and ethnicity have better clinical outcomes and greater satisfaction.
The George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund Endowment was established in 2000 by the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County and awarded its first tuition grant that same year. In 2007-2008, 10 Rawls Scholars attended the IU School of Medicine. Rawls Scholars express strong social concern and most, upon completing their medical training, plan to serve their community as primary care physicians.
The Wishard Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Wishard Health Services, the Marion County Health Department and Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, manages the George H. Rawls, M.D. Scholarship Fund. The Wishard Foundation recognizes that efforts to train more minority physicians can have a profoundly positive impact on the healthcare of minority patients.
Healthcare Provider Award Winner
Dr. Keith J. Woodard will be posthumously presented with the 2008 Healthcare Provider Award. Dr. Woodard grew up in Indianapolis and as a young child demonstrated a love for learning. Dr. Woodward attended Indiana University where he received an undergraduate degree in microbiology in 1988 and a medical doctorate in 1992. While at IU, he served as president of the Student National Medical Association, an organization that helps raise health awareness in minority communities and provides mentoring and scholarships to minority medical students. Dr. Woodard practiced anesthesiology at St. Vincent from 1996 to 2007 and most recently practiced at Witham Hospital in Lebanon. Dr. Woodard frequently participated in missionary medical trips to South Africa, Thailand, Sri Lanka and relief efforts in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. In June of this year, Dr. Woodard’s life ended tragically in a motorcycle accident. At the time of his death he was planning a mission trip to Africa with Doctors Without Borders.
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Dr. Raymond O. Pierce will be presented with the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. An Emeritus Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the IU School of Medicine, Dr. Pierce serves as Medical Director for Martin University and the chief executive officer of the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society. Dr. Pierce attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville and completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the V.A. Hospital at the University of Iowa. Dr. Pierce is currently the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons representative to the National Medical Association.
Organization Award Winner
Eli Lilly and Company will be presented with the 2008 Organization Award. Eli Lilly and Company has developed productive alliances and partnerships that advance the development of innovative medicines at lower costs. Lilly is consistently ranked as one of the best companies in the world to work for, and generations of Lilly employees have sustained a culture that values excellence, integrity and respect for people. Lilly has major research and development facilities in eight countries and conducts clinical trials in more than 50 countries. Lilly is consistently ranked as one of the most charitable companies in the world, and the Lilly Foundation, which is made possible by the donations of Eli Lilly and Company, is an important source of this charitable work. The Lilly Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of patients and the communities it serves. In 2007, the Foundation donated over $29 million to charitable causes.