Collaborative Partnerships for the Tourette Syndrome Community
The NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders and its Executive Director, Faith W. Rice, are among the honorees for this year’s distinction
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Carrying forward a 75-year tradition of recognizing exceptional physicians and leaders in health care, MDAdvantage Insurance Company of New Jersey has announced the 2014 honorees for the Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Awards.
The Excellence in Medicine Awards are named after Edward J. Ill, MD, a New Jersey physician who was a pioneer in promoting continuing education in ways that set the national standard. Every year since 1939, exemplary New Jersey physicians and leaders whose dedication to education, research and public service have significantly impacted the delivery of health care in the state and around the nation have been honored. This annual event has been sponsored by MDAdvantage Insurance Company of New Jersey since 2003.
“MDAdvantage is a proud and committed supporter of the Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Awards,” said Patricia A. Costante, Chairman and CEO of MDAdvantage. “For 75 years, this awards program has honored the legacy of New Jersey health-care leaders. The accomplishments of this year’s honorees exemplify the progress and the contributions that have been made by New Jersey’s extraordinary talent.”
Accepting the 2014 Verice M. Mason Community Service Leader Award on behalf of the NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders (NJCTS) is founder and Executive Director Faith W. Rice. The award is presented to an individual who has personified, led and provided the vision for an organization, and to the organization served, for extraordinary commitment to improving the health and welfare of the citizens of New Jersey.
NJCTS was formally initiated in 2004, but Rice’s grassroots efforts in Tourette Syndrome advocacy trace back a decade earlier when her son was diagnosed with the disorder. Before establishing NJCTS, Rice was in marketing, human resources and strategic planning with the IBM Corporation. That extensive for-profit experience has allowed her to structure NJCTS as a non-profit organization that promotes collaboration and partnerships among individuals,
universities, hospitals and other resources to provide services and support for the 1 in 100 children and their families affected by TS and its associated disorders.
These collaborations and partnerships have resulted in the formation of the world’s first Tourette Syndrome Cell & DNA Sharing Repository and a Tourette Syndrome Clinic (both at Rutgers University), an educational model that has served more than 60,000 New Jersey teachers, the introduction of the Collaborative Academic Research Efforts for Tourette Syndrome Act of 2011 and 2013 (the nation’s first proposed Tourette Syndrome legislation) and the Patient-Centered Medical Education program, which has armed a new generation of resident physicians with the tools necessary to properly diagnose and treat Tourette Syndrome.
Created to address the needs of individuals and families living with Tourette Syndrome, as well as the myriad professionals who serve them, NJCTS – through its research and educational programs – is recognized as the world’s first Center of Excellence for Tourette Syndrome and associated disorders.
Also being honored with Excellence in Medicine Awards are:
Outstanding Medical Educator Award: David E. Swee, MD, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development, Associate Dean for Education and Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Outstanding Medical Executive Award: Stephen K. Jones, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson Health System.
Edward J. Ill Physician’s Award: George F. Heinrich, MD, Vice Chair and Chief Executive Officer, New Jersey Health Foundation, and Associate Dean for Admissions and Adjunct Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Outstanding Medical Research Scientist Award for Basic Biomedical Research: Peter Lobel, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine.
Outstanding Medical Research Scientist Award for Clinical Research: Frederick F. Buechel, Sr., MD, orthopaedic surgeon, South Mountain Orthopaedic Associates, and Clinical Professor, Department of Orthopaedics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Peter W. Rodino, Jr., Citizen’s Award: Donald M. Chervenak, MD, obstetrician/gynecologist at Florham Park OB/GYN and Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
“The mission of the Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Awards is not only to highlight the remarkable accomplishments of our honorees, but also to support the future of medicine in New Jersey,” said Paul J. Hirsch, MD, Chairman of the Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Foundation. “As health-care leaders, we have an obligation to pave the way for our future healthcare providers so that they may continue the tradition of quality healthcare delivery and innovation in our state.”
This year’s awards will be presented at the Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Awards ceremony on May 7 at Greenacres Country Club in Lawrenceville, N.J. All profits from the event will be dedicated to support seven medical and physician assistant student scholarships. To participate in the 2014 Excellence in Medicine Awards by purchasing tickets, an Honor Roll sponsorship or an advertisement in the awards journal, contact the Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Foundation at 609-803-2350 or visit www.EJIawards.org.
The awards program is sponsored by MDAdvantage Insurance Company of New Jersey, a leading provider of medical professional liability insurance in New Jersey. For more information on MDAdvantage, call 888-355-5551 or visit www.MDAdvantageonline.com.
More information about the NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders is available by calling 908-575-7350 or by visiting www.njcts.org.
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New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders, Inc. Collaborative partnerships for the Tourette Syndrome community