The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Foundation Board of Directors will present the longstanding Distinguished Philanthropist Award and a new Distinguished Organization Award at the 2015 Clinical Congress. This year’s recipient of the Distinguished Philanthropist Award will be Danny R. Robinette, MD, FACS, and his wife, Paula. The Foundation Board will present the newly established Distinguished Organization Award to the Norman M. Rich Department of Surgery at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, MD. Both awards will be presented at the Foundation’s annual Donor Recognition Luncheon, Monday, October 5, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.
The Robinette’s outstanding philanthropy
Dr. and Mrs. Robinette
The 2015 Distinguished Philanthropist Award will be presented to Dr. Robinette and Paula Robinette of Fairbanks, AK, in recognition of their philanthropic endeavors and service to the surgical profession, the medical community, and the ACS.
Through their membership in the Fellows Leadership Society, the ACS major donor recognition program, and the Mayne Heritage Society—the ACS planned giving program—Dr. and Mrs. Robinette are helping to ensure that the College remains a strong advocate for future surgeons. Their 1913 Legacy Campaign gift will support the Codman Quality and Safety Fund and the Rural Surgery Fund. Both initiatives align closely with Dr. Robinette’s work as a surgeon in a small community and his commitment to providing the best care and service to his patients.
“Paula and I can think of few other organizations that deserve our strong support,” Dr. Robinette said. “We see many things the College is doing, thanks to philanthropy, that are improving the education and training of young surgeons. A gift to the ACS Foundation is a gift to future surgical patients and their surgeons.”
Dr. Robinette is medical director, Surgery Center of Fairbanks, and clinical assistant professor, department of surgery, University of Washington, Seattle. He attended the University of Louisville Medical School, KY, and completed his residency at Wright State University, Dayton, OH. Mrs. Robinette graduated from Morehead State University, KY.
Dr. Robinette’s voluntarism activities within the ACS include service as Alaska Chapter President, Alaska Commission on Cancer State Chair, ACS Governor, member of the Board of the ACS Professional Association’s political action committee (ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC), and ACS Foundation committee member.
Danny and Paula Robinette are the 25th recipients of the Foundation’s Distinguished Philanthropist Award. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to philanthropy and to the ACS mission. In addition to their philanthropic support of the ACS, they contribute to several not-for-profit organizations within the Fairbanks community.
First Distinguished Organization Award
Dr. Rich
This year, the ACS Foundation Board of Directors will also present the first Distinguished Organization Award to the Norman M. Rich Department of Surgery at USUHS in honor of its generous philanthropic partnership with the College.
Through the advocacy of retired U.S. Army Colonel Norman M. Rich, MD, FACS, MC, DMCC, the Leonard Heaton and David Packard Professor at USUHS, the Uniform Services University Surgical Associates Military Professor of Surgery Fund was established in 2011 and is administrated by ACS. This fund will be used to improve surgical care for current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families and to ensure the professional standing of surgeons in the military and public health services.
Congress established USUHS as part of the Uniformed Services Health Professions Revitalization Act, which President Richard M. Nixon signed into law on September 21, 1972. It was created to fill a void that existed in hospitals and clinics, on military bases and battlefields, and other places where service members needed—and deserved—specially trained physicians to care for their wounds.
The mission of USUHS is to educate, train, and prepare uniformed services health professionals, officers, and leaders to directly support the military health system, the National Security and National Defense Strategies of the U.S., and the readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces. USUHS is located in Bethesda, MD, on the grounds of the Naval Support Activity Bethesda, near the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Before this funding partnership was established, the ACS and USUHS were longtime informal collaborators and have shared several volunteer leaders, including the late Oliver H. Beahrs, MD, FACS, and the late George F. Sheldon, MD, FACS, both Past-Presidents of the ACS.
Dr. Rich will accept the award, in his words, “on behalf of the thousands of individuals who have contributed to our collective efforts over the past nearly 50 years.”
The ACS Foundation promotes voluntary philanthropy from Fellows and friends to support the College’s goals for improving surgical patient care and ensuring the professional standing of surgeons wherever they practice. For more information on the Foundation and the awards, visit the ACS Foundation’s website.
