Katharine Barnard, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health, was honored by the Worcester District Medical Society (WDMS) for her exceptional commitment to community service. On Wednesday, Nov. 14, Dr. Barnard accepted the 22nd annual A. Jane Fitzpatrick Award for Community Service at the WDMS 2012 Fall District Meeting. The award recognizes a Central Massachusetts health care professional for contributions that go above and beyond usual professional duties to improve the health and well-being of the community.
Long affiliated with UMMS and UMass Memorial Medical Center, beginning as a medical student, then as a family medicine resident, Dr. Barnard now combines active engagement as a UMMS faculty member with her clinical practice as medical director of the Plumley Village Health Services Center. Plumley Village Health Services is an outreach practice in a Worcester public housing complex that is supported by the Hahnemann Family Health Center, which is also a UMMS Family Medicine Residency site for which Barnard is a faculty physician.
The Fitzpatrick Award is given in memory of the life-long community contributions of its namesake, who was a long-time Worcester pediatrician and pioneering woman in medicine. It honors individuals who demonstrate compassion and dedication to the medical needs of patients and/or the public and has made significant contributions to the practice of medicine, values exemplified by Barnard’s focus on serving the underserved and training the next generation of primary care physicians.
Also a feature of the annual District Meeting is the awarding of WDMS scholarships. This year, nine of 12 scholarships went to UMMS students:
Achankeng Afiadata, SOM ’15
Patrick Bonavitacola, SOM ’14
Timothy Gleeson, SOM ’13
Mitchell Li, SOM ’13
Stuart Murray, SOM ’13
Odette Taha, SOM ’14
Daniel Terk, SOM ’13
Sara Weiner, SOM ’14
Jessica Zina, SOM ’13
