UF COMJ dean recognized last week in Atlanta
Leon L. Haley Jr., MD, MHSA, FACEP, CPE, dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, has won the National Medical Fellowships’ Excellence in Academic Medicine Award for 2017. Haley received the accolade at the Champions of Health Awards ceremony Oct. 4 in Atlanta.
National Medical Fellowships is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the number of underrepresented minority physicians and other professionals in health care in order to improve access to quality care in medically underserved communities.
The Excellence in Medical Education Award recognizes an outstanding medical educator who has demonstrated outstanding teaching skill and has served as a role model and mentor to hospitalists, residents, medical students and other health care professionals.
“I’m honored to be given this award for many reasons, perhaps mostly because it represents the importance of education of caregivers from all backgrounds,” Haley said. “As educators, we need to find ways to bring diversity to medicine. I am proud to be a part of doing so.”
NMF is the only national organization solely dedicated to providing scholarships and support to students in medical and health professions across all minority groups that are underrepresented in health care. Over the years, the organization has provided scholarships and awards to more than 30,000 minority medical students who have gone on to become leaders in all areas of medicine, research, education, government, business and philanthropy.
“On behalf of the NMF Board of Directors, the NMF National Alumni Council and the students we serve, I congratulate Dr. Haley on his selection,” said Esther R. Dyer, president and CEO of National Medical Fellowships. “In recognizing him, we salute his lifetime of achievements and his commitment to academic and clinical excellence. We know that he provides inspiration for many.”
Last year marked NMF’s 70th anniversary and it continues to open pipelines that bring talented young minority students to careers of service in the medical and health professions. It has more than 16,500 alumni in the United States today.