For the first time in its 222-year history, the state-chartered Fairfield County Medical Association will partner with a newspaper ”” the Fairfield County Business Journal ”” for an awards event.
Doctors of Distinction 2014, “Saluting those who go beyond the diagnosis,” is Oct. 22, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Ave. in Norwalk. It is the first incarnation of the event and the public is invited.
Accounting firm Citrin Cooperman is event co-sponsor with the Business Journal.
“Citrin Cooperman is very excited about sponsoring the inaugural Doctors of Distinction Awards ceremony for Fairfield County,” said Mark Fagan, managing partner of the company”™s Norwalk office. “The awards were created to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the leading physicians in Fairfield County for their contribution to the profession and the community. All of the winners and nominees have represented the highest standards of excellence in the medical community and we congratulate them all.”
“All the Fairfield County doctors are doctors of distinction,” said Dr. Robin Oshman, a dermatologist with a Ph.D. in microbiology who is president of the association. “We look forward to recognizing a chosen few.”
The five Doctors of Distinction categories and winners include:
Ӣ Humanitarian Award: Dr. Richard J. Garvey, general surgery, Bridgeport;
Ӣ Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Jeanne M. Marconi, pediatrics, Norwalk;
Ӣ Leadership in Medical Advocacy: Dr. Edward Volpintesta, family physician, Bethel;
Ӣ Community Service: Dr. Darcy I. Lowell, pediatrics, Bridgeport; and
Ӣ Excellence in Medical Research: Dr. Beverly J. Drucker, medical oncology, Greenwich.
“Doctors of Distinction is not a popularity contest,” said Dee DelBello, publisher of the Fairfield County Business Journal. “It”™s designed to recognize the best of the best, which is no easy task for the judges. It”™s our hope that the award program becomes an annual, respected and anticipated tradition and that the Business Journal, working with the Fairfield County Medical Association, will bring more awareness to all residents about the good work of their Fairfield County physicians.”
Dr. Randy Trowbridge, who is the association”™s vice president, set the event in the context of an evolving industry, saying, “Where we are in health care is a place that has moved about as far away as it can from the most important thing in health care: the patient-physician relationship.” But, he said, “Here we have an event to celebrate excellent doctors. Given all that we have going on in health care, I”™d call that a breath of fresh air.”
Additionally, the association is honoring Dr. Shireen Donaldson-Ramos with its 2014 Dr. Melville G. Magida Award and, for legal work, attorney Roy Breitenbach of Long Island, N.Y.-based Garfunkel Wild PC, with a Connecticut office on Bedford Street in Stamford.
Mark Thompson, executive director of the association, said Donaldson-Ramos, an obstetrician, is the Magida Award”™s 36th recipient. It honors a physician not yet 40 years old for “notable patient care and service to the community.”
Thompson said Breitenbach”™s work was instrumental in a major federal Appeals Court victory for the 1,500-member association”™s physicians and doctors of osteopathy.
The association also has invited seven lawmakers for recognition.
“They”™ve all done tremendous things for patients and we wanted to recognize and thank them,” Thompson said.
The state lawmakers are Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton; Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport; Sen. Anthony Musto, D-Trumbull; Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton; Rep. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield; Rep. Daniel Carter, R-Bethel; and Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, R-Glastonbury. Srinivasan is the only medical doctor in the state Legislature, Thompson said.
Dr. Bruce Koeppen, dean of the new Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, is a special guest speaker.
Stacey DiPiazza, principal of East Windsor-based InfoShred, will present Stamford-based nonprofit AmeriCares with a check as part of a program that shreds medical records for free, with doctors making voluntary donations for the service that go to charity. This year”™s check is $2,300.
