GALVESTON, Texas — Dr. Frederick S. Huang, assistant professor and director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Department of Pediatrics, has been appointed to the university’s John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine in recognition of his devotion to compassionate, patient-centered health care.
Known as a William Osler Scholar during his five-year tenure in the academy, Huang joins seven other members — Drs. Jack B. Alperin, Judith F. Aronson, Robert E. Beach, Alfredo F. Gei, Mark D. Holden, C. Joan Richardson and Barbara L. Thompson. Dr. Alice A. O’Donell stepped down as a funded member of the academy, although she will continue to participate in the group’s programs and activities. The scholars are practicing UTMB faculty physicians selected by their colleagues for demonstrating an exceptional ability to treat patients skillfully and respectfully, to teach medical students to do likewise, and to serve as role models for their students and their peers.
The McGovern Academy was established in 2001 when the John P. McGovern Foundation, founded by Houston physician John P. McGovern, contributed $5 million to UTMB to create endowments for five Osler Scholars. The academy honors the work of Sir William Osler (1849-1919), a Canadian doctor who pioneered many revolutionary approaches to teaching clinical medicine, most notably the modern medical residency program and the practice of bedside teaching for medical students. Above all, Osler stressed the importance of caring and having strong ethical principles in being a physician.
McGovern gave additional funds to UTMB in 2003 to create an endowment for a sixth Osler Scholar as well as six Osler Student Scholarships for medical students who exemplify the renowned physician’s compassionate ideals. In 2004, McGovern made another gift to UTMB to establish endowments for two more William Osler Scholar positions, create six additional Osler Student Scholarships and fund the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Awards. The annual awards recognize UTMB faculty who epitomize excellence in this form of education. Osler returned clinical teaching to prominence after 19th-century medical education had become dominated by lectures and laboratory work.
Huang, who cares for babies, children, adolescents and young adults with blood disorders and cancer, said he is humbled by his appointment to the McGovern Academy. “I am honored that I was chosen to join a group of physicians held in such high esteem for their principles, compassion and teaching,” he said. “I am excited about the opportunities that lie before me, and I look forward to contributing in the best way that I can.”
Dr. Lawrence R. Stanberry, chair of UTMB’s Department of Pediatrics, said Huang’s induction into the McGovern Academy is a fitting tribute to his work at the academic health center. “Dr. Huang has demonstrated an acute attention to the compassionate ideals espoused by Sir William Osler,” said Stanberry, who also directs the university’s Sealy Center for Vaccine Development and holds the John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Pediatrics. “His dedication to caring humanely for some of UTMB’s youngest patients makes him an ideal selection for admission into this esteemed group of physicians.”
During his tenure in the McGovern Academy, Huang will work with the other Osler Scholars in developing and implementing ways to integrate Oslerian ideals into UTMB’s curriculum and clinical care.
Huang earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in 1994 and completed his residency in pediatrics at Baylor’s affiliated hospitals three years later. He conducted his fellowship training in pediatric hematology/oncology at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Huang, who joined the UTMB faculty in 2001, is a principal investigator with the Children’s Oncology Group, which provides the latest treatments for childhood cancer. He is also a member of UTMB’s Child Health Research Center and is conducting research on mucositis, a gastrointestinal injury resulting from the toxicity of chemotherapy cancer treatments. Huang teaches numerous courses in the university’s schools of Medicine, Allied Health Sciences and Graduate Biomedical Sciences and has been recognized as an outstanding instructor, having received the Class of 1947 Excellence in Education Award and the Department of Pediatrics’ Golden Rattle Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching.
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
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Christian Messa: jcmessa@utmb.edu