4 in School of Medicine honored by American College of Physicians

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 18, 2014) — Four faculty of the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will be recognized during the national meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP) April 30 to May 2, 2015 in Boston.

Marvin Forland, M.D., MACP, professor emeritus of medicine who left the University of Chicago in 1968 to help launch the School of Medicine in San Antonio, will be honored with the Texas Chapter Centennial Award. The ACP turns 100 years old in 2015. Dr. Forland served as chief of renal diseases and, later, associate dean for clinical affairs in the School of Medicine. Upon his retirement in 1999, he played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics, and continues to volunteer his time to furthering its initiatives.

Ralph DeFronzo, M.D., FACP, professor of medicine and chief of diabetes in the School of Medicine, will receive the Samuel Eichold II Memorial Award for Contributions in Diabetes. This award is presented to Dr. DeFronzo for conducting research that has significantly improved the clinical management of diabetes. Dr. DeFronzo led and continues to lead development of new frontline diabetes therapies such as metformin.

Ruth Berggren, M.D., FACP, professor of medicine – infectious diseases and director of the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics, will receive the Nicholas E. Davies Memorial Scholar Award for Scholarly Activities in the Humanities and History of Medicine. The daughter of medical missionaries, Dr. Berggren grew up in Haiti. She chose to specialize in infectious diseases after seeing their effects on the poor. Dr. Berggren has greatly expanded the center’s Community Service Learning and global health programs, among other initiatives.

George Crawford, M.D., MACP, professor of medicine and associate director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, will be installed as governor of the Southern Texas Region of the ACP. Dr. Crawford has won numerous teaching awards, including the American College of Physicians Laureate Award.

“ACP is honoring the commitment of these four outstanding leaders to the health of Texas and the nation,” said Francisco González-Scarano, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine, vice president for medical affairs and professor of neurology.

The ACP is the nation’s largest specialty medical society, with more than 137,000 members devoted to strengthening the practice of internal medicine. Doctors of internal medicine, or “internists,” focus on adult medicine – the prevention and treatment of adult diseases.

The membership consists of generalists and subspecialists, physicians in practice, residents, fellows and medical students. MACP stands for Master of the American College of Physicians; FACP stands for Fellow of the ACP.

The Texas Chapter of the ACP consists of southern and northern regions.

 

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 13 percent of academic institutions receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 31,000 graduates. The $787.7 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.



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