More than 680 physicians and guests gathered to celebrate at the 10th Physician Recognition Dinner on Saturday, May 18, at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. Thank you to all the physicians who attended. The dinner included the presentation of 5 Brian A. McGovern, MD Awards for Clinical Excellence. The 2019 recipients are:
Medical Services
- John Herman, MD, psychiatry – award presented by Tim Ferris, MD
- Walter O’Donnell, MD, pulmonary and critical care – award presented by Rocio Hurtado, infectious disease
Other Services
- Helen Shih, MD, radiation oncology — award presented by Nancy Tarbell, MD, pediatric radiation oncology
Surgical Services
- Brooke Swearingen, MD, neurosurgery — award presented by Pamela Jones, MD, neurosurgery
- May Wakamatsu, MD, OB/GYN — award presented by Marcela del Carmen, MD, MGPO chief medical officer and a gynecologic oncologist
This year, there were 168 nominations for 102 physicians. The McGovern Award was created in 2004 to honor physicians who exemplify Brian’s clinical acumen, dedication, compassion, and kindness. The awards are endowed by a generous gift through the Ira and Jacquie Stepanian Recognition Endowment for Excellence.
Ferris emceed the evening and spoke about the personal relationships and commitments that are key to sustaining a team of teams and providing excellent care. Jonathan Kraft, an MGH Board of Trustees member and president of the New England Patriots, described the essential ingredients for building a team, “We are not collecting talent; we are building a team.” He encouraged attendees to look beyond talent to those who also have the drive and ability to contribute to the team. Before the announcement of the recipients of the McGovern award, Ferris introduced this year’s video featuring 5 pairs of physicians (including a nurse practitioner) who shadowed each other. Ferris noted the video reflected on the relationships within our team of teams and that the pilot shadowing program will soon be extended. Watch the video. During the dinner, MGPO physicians also saluted their nursing colleagues. Use a non-Internet Explorer browser such as Chrome to play the videos.
Watch short videos of each recipient and more on the MGPO intranet.