For Release: April 19, 2002
Contact: DMS Communications (603) 650-1492

Print Version

DMS Professor Dr. Joseph F. O'Donnell Honored as National Finalist for Humanism in Medicine Award

Hanover, NH -- Joseph F. O'Donnell, MD, professor of medicine, senior advising dean and director of community programs at Dartmouth Medical School, was honored during ceremonies today as a distinguished finalist for the 2001 Humanism in Medicine Award, sponsored annually by the Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) through the support of the Pfizer Medical Humanities initiative.

O'Donnell is one of 56 physicians from across the nation nominated by the AAMC Organization of Student Representatives, based on five defining characteristics of humanism in medical education: positive mentoring skills, active in community service, compassion/sensitivity, collaboration and observance of professional ethics. He was recognized for his commitment to training and mentoring young physicians and having them, in turn, pass on their knowledge to a new generation of physicians.

"Medical students learn by exposure to role model physicians who are not only scientifically qualified but who also exemplify compassion, understanding and partnership," said Mike Magee, MD, senior medical advisor for Pfizer Inc. and director of Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative. "Dr. O'Donnell is such a physician, and the students of Dartmouth Medical School, through this award, have expressed their appreciation to him as both a physician and an outstanding human being."

Writes one of his students, "Dr. O'Donnell's name is synonymous with mentoring on the Dartmouth Medical School campus...when it comes down to it, medicine is about dealing with people. Dr. O'Donnell's mission in life seems to be to get us to understand this fact in the face of the competition from the cold reality of medicine which often times loses sight of the importance of compassion and patient-focused care."

Return to News Releases