Annual Dr. Harold Alper Humanitarian Awards and Keynote Address
17th Annual Dr. Harold Alper Humanitarian Keynote Address and Awards Ceremony
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine - Chattanooga, in conjunction with the family of the late Harold Alper, MD, and the Erlanger Foundation, hosted the 17th Annual Alper Humanitarian Awards Keynote Address and Ceremony on Friday, May 3, 2024. from 7:30 --9:30 am ET in the Erlanger Probasco Auditorium. After Dr. James Kahn's inspiring Keynote Address, the 11 nominees were recognized, and the overall winner of the Alper Humanitarian Award was announced. Congratulations to Pahola Rodriguez, MD, Senior Pediatrics Resident! It was a fantastic day and large crowd in Probasco Auditorium.
2024 Alper Humanitarian Award Recipient and Nominees
The 17th Annual Harold Alper, MD, Humanitarian Award was presented to Pahola Rodriguez, MD, Senior Pediatrics Resident.
The Award is presented to a graduating Resident or Fellow at the UTHSC College of Medicine - Chattanooga who has consistently demonstrated, during residency or fellowship, the humanistic qualities for which the late Dr. Harold Alper was known: integrity, compassion, and community service.
Read Dr. Rodriguez's nomination letter via this link.
Hayley Everett, MD
Chief Resident, Surgery (PGY-6)
Read Dr. Everett's Nomination
Pahola Rodriguez, MD
Senior Resident, Pediatrics (PL-3)
Read Dr. Rodriguez's Nomination
Recipient of the 2024 Dr. Alper Humanitarian Award
Christopher Sciarretta, MD
Chief Resident, Emergency Medicine (PGY-3)
Read Dr. Sciarretta's Nomination
David Thompson, MD
Chief Resident, Urology (PGY-5)
Read Dr. Thompson's Nomination
About Dr. Alper: Dr. Harold Alper began practicing in 1947 and was named to the University of Tennessee College of Medicine faculty as Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery in 1976. He was instrumental in founding the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Speech and Hearing Center in the early 1950’s, and he pioneered microscopic surgery and laser surgery in Chattanooga. Dr. Alper’s community service included work as the president of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, the Chattanooga Jewish Welfare Foundation and the Jewish Community Center.
About the Award and Ceremony: The University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga, in conjunction with the Baroness Foundation at Erlanger Health System and an endowment from the family of the late Dr. Harold Alper, has established the yearly ceremony and Grand Rounds Keynote Address. The Dr. Harold Alper Humanitarian Award is presented to a graduating Resident or Fellow at the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga who has consistently demonstrated during residency or fellowship the humanistic qualities for which the late Dr. Harold Alper was known: integrity, compassion, and community service.
The judges reviewed all nominations and well as the nominations and comments/stories from colleagues, other health system staff, and patients. There were 11 nominees representing 11 of our programs. All nominees were recognized and honored at the event following Dr. James Kahn's Keynote Address. The judges decision was announced and Dr. Pahola Rodriguez was presented the 2024 Award as the graduating Resident who was the most deserving and best represented the traits for which Dr. Harold Alper was known -- integrity, compassion, and community service. She received a beautiful crystal award and $ 1,500 from the Alper Endowment to continue her work.
The other ten nominees received $ 1,000 each from the endowment. All nominees and the recipient also received a certificate from the Alper Family and Deans.
About the Keynote Address: The Alper Humanitarian Award ceremony includes a Keynote Address highlighting the importance and role of humanism in medicine. This year’s keynote address title is "Stories from a 40-Year Career in Medicine."
Keynote Speaker:
James Kahn, MD
Professor Emeritus
Department of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Our guest speaker for the 2024 celebration of Dr. Alper and our graduates was James Kahn, MD. Dr. Kahn is Professor Emeritus, Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
James Kahn, MD, has spent the past twelve years at Stanford University School of Medicine where his career activity focused on mentoring and narrative medicine. He has published his stories in JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, Lancet, and the Journal of Palliative Medicine. He has received mentoring awards at the University of California San Francisco and two teaching awards at Stanford University. His topic will be "Stories from a 40-Year Career in Medicine."
Dr. Kahn graduated from University of California at Berkeley (AB in History) and then matriculated at the University of California San Francisco (MD). He was inducted into the Gold Headed Cane Society and AOA. He was an intern at Johns Hopkins Hospital on the Osler Medical Service, returning to UCSF for his Oncology Fellowship. He joined the faculty at UCSF and accepted an appointment in the AIDS Program at San Francisco General Hospital. His initial research activities focused on three areas: antiretroviral and novel therapeutic treatments of HIV infection, understanding elements of HIV pathogenesis associated with acute HIV infection and post exposure prevention. He then concentrated on working as a team to capitalize on the data stored in electronic medical records, HIV disease modeling and using electronic medical records for outcome research. During that time, he helped to develop a mentorship program for doctoral, post-doctoral scholars and early career faculty dedicated to translational and clinical research. He was the national chair for an NIAID sponsored AIDS Clinical Trials Group study and conducted Phase 1 through Phase 3 studies. His scholarship received funding from the NIH for 24 years through a variety of mechanisms including, as the principal investigator of R01, R18, R24, R35 and K24 grants and co-investigator for R01, R18, R24 and R33 awards. Three foundations have supported his scholarly activities: the California Healthcare Foundation, the Blue Shield Foundation and the Commonwealth Foundation and he received three career awards, one from the American Cancer Society and two K24 awards from the NIH.
The UTHSC College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing education for physicians. This presentation is approved for one hour AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ in accordance with ACCME guidelines. Those physicians who attended the in-person session in Probasco Auditorium (May 3, 2024), were eligible to receive CME/CEU Credit for the presentation.