Dr. Nathan Davis Award: AMA honors outstanding public servants

Editorial pages, and ours is no exception, often read like a catalog of what's wrong with government. On many issues affecting the health of the nation, the "government" -- shorthand for the individuals who make, interpret and administer the laws -- can legitimately be taken to task for being too timid, too intrusive, too bureaucratic, or too eager. And that's just a partial list.

But those in government also get things right.

The AMA's Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service presents a different, but equally true, picture of individuals who hold this essential public trust. Since 1989, the award has been an annual celebration of elected and career public servants on the federal, state and local levels, who have contributed greatly to public health, promoted the art and science of medicine, or developed a project to improve the health of a community or population.

The honor is fittingly named for Dr. Nathan Davis, whose determination and leadership in medicine and improving the health of the public resulted in the founding of the AMA more than a century and a half ago.

The 2007 recipients:

• Sen. Gordon Smith (R, Ore.), was one of two named from Congress. The AMA noted Smith's efforts on preventing youth suicide, as well as his work on health care issues in the Senate, including the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
• Sen. Sherrod Brown (D, Ohio) was cited for achievements while still a member of the U.S. House of Representatives on issues such as Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance Program.
• Connecticut State Sen. Toni Harp was one of two state legislators named. Harp was selected, in the words of the AMA's president, for her "tireless commitment to issues that impact the health and well-being of women and children," and her leadership as "an outspoken advocate on behalf of the homeless."
• North Carolina State Sen. William R. Purcell, MD, a pediatrician, was cited for his work to adopt important health and safety requirements for children.
• Margaret Giannini, MD, director, Health and Human Services Office on Disability, was honored as this year's "Member of executive branch serving by presidential appointment" for a lifetime of work in rehabilitation and service to those with disabilities, with Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush appointing her to posts.
• Doug Lowy, MD, and John Schiller, PhD, both from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, were honored in the category "Member of executive branch in career public service," for their discovery of the human papillomavirus vaccine.
• Dora Ann Mills, MD, MPH, director, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was named in the category "Career public servant at the local level." Her leadership on tobacco prevention and control was cited as a major factor in the dramatic decline in youth smoking in Maine.

This year's honorees join the more than 160 past recipients whose achievements the AMA held up as an example of government officials "giving of themselves to advance the well-being of all."