By Mary Alice Taylor
Each year, the Methodist Healthcare Foundation Living Awards recognize individuals or organizations who have distinguished themselves by their leadership and commitment to the healing mission of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and to those whose faith-based initiatives have had a profound impact on health care locally, nationally and globally.
This year the Methodist Healthcare Foundation honored five recipients during the 2008 Living Awards Benefit. The event was held Aug. 21 in the Tennessee Ballroom at the Hilton Memphis. All proceeds from the event benefit the Methodist Healthcare Foundation.
The 2008 honorees are:
Thomas L. Gray, M.D. – Inspiration in Faith and Health
Throughout his medical career, Dr. Thomas Gray has demonstrated a strong sense of service and commitment to those in need. After graduating with honors from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Dr. Gray served as a medical missionary in Africa and then continued his commitment to serving others as a staff physician at Christ Community Medical Center in Memphis. Today, Dr. Gray runs his own private practice and is the medical director of Life Choices, a safe haven for women with unplanned pregnancies and without insurance.
Dr. R. Franklin Adams – Physician Inspiration in Faith and Health
Adams has been a driving force in ensuring patients at Methodist University Hospital receive the best possible care for a wide range of rheumatology illnesses. Adams has served as president of the Methodist Hospital staff and was the original director of its internal medicine teaching program. He is a Founding Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology. Throughout his career he has been actively involved in a number of local community initiatives to educate and to help raise funds for research and new treatments for rheumatologic disorders.
Dr. Raymond Hawkins Jr. – Physician Inspiration in Faith and Health
Hawkins’ personal and professional life exemplifies the mission of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. He began his medical career on the front lines of the Vietnam war. For the past 33 years, he has been the sole general surgeon for Methodist Fayette Hospital in Somerville, as well as a strong and vocal champion for quality healthcare for all residents in rural Fayette County. From abdominal surgeries to cancer and gynecological surgeries and plastic and gastro-intestinal procedures, Hawkins has performed more than 25,000 surgical procedures. He has been a pioneer and leader in laparoscopic surgery which allows for smaller incisions and faster recovery for patients.
Jubilee Catholic Schools – Community Inspiration in Faith and Health
After reopening in 1999, with just 26 students and one kindergarten class, the Jubilee Catholic Schools of Memphis have grown to eight schools, two urban education initiatives, and 1,300 students. These schools provide students with the building blocks for life – the opportunity to learn, to succeed, and to overcome the odds. They also offer a safe haven to the children living in inner- city Memphis neighborhoods from the drugs and violence to which they are so often exposed.
Christian Medical College, Vellore, India – National/ International Inspiration in Faith and Health
Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, India, is a shining example of faith in action. From a one-bed clinic, CMC has grown into a 2,000-bed hospital and a medical school that has been consistently rated as one of the best in the country. As a teaching institution, CMC is unique in being not only one of the pioneering hospitals in India in terms of medical research and high-tech care, but also as an institution that reaches out to the practical needs of the poor.
CMC serves as a witness to the spirit and teachings of Christ by providing care to the highly diverse population of hundreds of different Indian cultures, which includes many religions both Christian and non-Christian.
Mary Alice Taylor is a communications specialist for Methodist Healthcare.
Originally published by Mary Alice Taylor Special to My Life .
(c) 2008 Commercial Appeal, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
Comments