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04/20/2016

Ohio ACEP Annual Awards Presented to Five Outstanding EM Physicians

Bill Hall Award, EM Physician of the Year, Outstanding Resident of the Year, Emergency Physician Advocacy Award, and Emergency Physician Medical Education Award Presented at EM Leadership Forum

On April 19, at the Emergency Medicine Leadership Forum, Ohio ACEP was pleased to present the 2016 Bill Hall Award for Service, Emergency Medicine Physician of the Year Award, Outstanding Emergency Medicine Resident of the Year Award, Emergency Physician Advocacy Award, and the Emergency Physician Medical Education Award to five outstanding physicians. This year, the Bill Hall Award was presented to Mary E. Hancock, MD, FACEP; the Emergency Medicine physician of the year award was presented to John Tafuri, MD, FACEP, FAAEM; the Outstanding Emergency Medicine of the Year Award was presented to Rory P. Stuart, MD; the Emergency Physician Advocacy Award was presented to Joan Papp, MD, FACEP; and the Emergency Physician Medical Education Award was presented to Andrew M. King, MD, FACEP.

The award’s namesake, Dr. William Hall, served as Chapter President from 1974-1975 and as Treasurer from 1979-1985. The award that bears his name is the highest honor Ohio ACEP bestows, and it has been presented 21 times to Ohio ACEP members who have served the Chapter with distinction. Physicians who have received the Bill Hall Award have made a significant contribution to emergency medicine and to Ohio Chapter ACEP and reflect the character of Dr. Hall, such as selfless giving of time and enthusiasm for patient care. 

Dr. Mary HancockDr. Mary Hancock perfectly embodies these qualities. She has served Ohio ACEP in multiple leadership roles, including service as a Board Member, committee Chair, and two terms as Ohio ACEP President. Having initiated Ohio ACEP’s Leadership Development Academy, she has devoted plenty of time to developing physician leaders.

Dr. Hancock has a keen interest in pre-hospital medical education which has served her well as the Medical Director of ITLS Ohio (Ohio Chapter of International Trauma Life Support), a position she has held since 1998. She is a current member of the Ohio ACEP Board of Directors, and in 2015, she was elected to the national Board of Directors of ITLS.

In his letter nominating Dr. Hancock for the Bill Hall Award, Dr. Nicholas Jouriles – a national leader in emergency medicine and a Bill Hall Award recipient himself – commended her as a dedicated mentor, an accomplished leader, and a physician who represents “all that is good about Ohio ACEP.”

The Emergency Physician of the Year Award was created to recognize clinicians of unusual merit and celebrate physicians who encourage members to pursue the ideals of emergency medicine. Recipients of this award serve as outstanding physician role models, maintain high professional standards, provide high-quality care, and demonstrate dedication to emergency medicine.

Dr. John TafuriDr. John Tafuri, an attending physician and Regional Medical Director for the Cleveland Clinic Team Health Hospitals, epitomizes each of these qualities. A highly respected clinician, mentor, and leader, he has been tireless in helping to prepare the next generation of emergency physicians and has been dedicated to addressing and raising awareness about issues affecting emergency medicine.

As an attending physician, Dr. Tafuri is recognized for his excellent clinical care and judgment. Armed with a sharp sense of wit and a wealth of knowledge, he is also known for being calm and serene even when the emergency department is chaotic.

In her letter nominating Dr. Tafuri, Ohio ACEP President-Elect Dr. Purva Grover praised her colleague’s leadership, saying he strives for transparency, honesty, and integrity and leads by example by presenting a positive role model for emergency physicians to emulate.

The Outstanding Emergency Medicine Resident of the Year Award was established to recognize a resident of outstanding merit who exhibits exemplary clinical promise, leadership, and commitment to their patients and emergency medicine.

Dr. Rory StuartDr. Rory Stuart, a Chief Resident at the Wright State University Emergency Medicine Residency, is a perfect example of the qualities this award was created to celebrate. He regularly demonstrates an unyielding dedication to education, excellence in clinical work, and quality in patient care. A knowledgeable and empathetic physician, Dr. Stuart is a true advocate for his patients. Not only does he provide outstanding patient care, but he never misses an opportunity to help educate other residents, medical students, and nurses.

Currently in his third year of residency, Dr. Stuart has created a number of interactive educational presentations on a wide variety of topics ranging from EKGs to airway management to orthopedics. His fellow residents have described him as “brilliant” and “the smartest person I know.” He is recognized as an expert in the subject of toxicology by residents and faculty alike and has presented lectures on opioid and amphetamine abuse.

Ohio ACEP established the Emergency Physician Advocacy Award to celebrate leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of emergency medicine. Recipients of the award advocate for their specialty, their communities, and their patients.

Dr. Joan PappDr. Joan Papp, an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and an attending physician at MetroHealth Medical Center, perfectly embodies these criteria. Having successfully supported bills before the Ohio General Assembly, Dr. Papp has demonstrated the power of a dedicated physician advocate.

Dr. Papp has been on the front lines of confronting the devastating opioid abuse epidemic – one of the biggest public health crises in years. As Medical Director of Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone), she has tirelessly championed programs to make the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone more widely available.

Seeing the lifesaving potential of the drug while working in her own emergency department, she recognized more could be done to expand distribution programs in the state. Expanding these programs, however, was hampered by administrative requirements which forced many at-risk Ohioans and their loved ones to travel long distances to counties where naloxone programs are active.

Dr. Papp successfully championed legislation to remove these barriers and empower communities to establish their own naloxone programs. This legislation, which passed the Ohio General Assembly without a single “no” vote, was signed into law last year.

At a time when overdoses have surpassed motor vehicle collisions as the nation’s number one cause of accidental death, Dr. Papp’s efforts have undoubtedly saved lives.

The Emergency Physician Medical Education Award was established to recognize contributions to education in the field of emergency medicine. The honor is bestowed upon emergency physicians who have exhibited exemplary teaching skills, implemented an exceptional education program, or developed an innovative teaching model.

Dr. Andrew KingDr. Andrew King, who is Assistant Residency Program Director at The Ohio State University Department of Emergency Medicine, meets and exceeds these criteria. As an instructor, he is greatly admired and respected among his residents and his peers. Over the course of his career, he has authored or co-authored more than two dozen publications. For most of these, he has enthusiastically involved residents in the educational experience and graciously shared authorship with residents and faculty alike – a testament to his generous spirit and his commitment to elevating those around him.

Dr. King was nominated by Dr. Nathan Finnerty on behalf of his fellow residents. In his nomination letter, Dr. Finnerty outlined Dr. King’s contributions to The Ohio State University’s Emergency Medicine Residency Program, including implementing a flipped classroom model for residency didactic curriculum and various other resident quality improvement projects, which his residents say have greatly impacted their education.

In their letter nominating Dr. King, his residents were enthusiastic in their praise, saying he goes above and beyond the call of duty as an academic clinician, is a fantastic role model for patient care and education, and never fails to make his residents feel safe to ask for help.

Ohio ACEP congratulates Drs. Mary Hancock, John Tafuri, Rory Stuart, Joan Papp, and Andrew King on their well-deserved honors!

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