Concord resident Dr. Alan Woodward receives Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Medical Society

Waltham, Mass. – May 20– Alan C. Woodward, M.D. has been honored by the Massachusetts Medical Society as the 2015 recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award, given to a member of the Society who has made a lasting contribution to the practice of medicine over a lifetime and who has made significant contributions to the goals of the Society. He will receive the award, the Society’s most prestigious honor, at the Society’s annual meeting in Boston May 1.

One of the state’s leading public health advocates, Dr. Woodward’s commitment to his profession, patients, and the Massachusetts Medical Society spans nearly four decades, and he has served the organization in a number of capacities since becoming a member of the Society in 1983.

In nominating him for this award, his colleagues have noted that he is a “potent and persistent patient advocate, setting exceedingly high standards and pursuing excellent health care for all. Health care is not his job; it is his passion. He truly inspires, and reminds us that one self-motivated, genuinely caring individual with energy and commitment can truly transform the lives of many.”

A member of numerous committees and task forces over the years, he has been a member of the Society’s Board of Trustees and has chaired its Committees on Legislation, Administration and Management, Public Health, and Task Force on Liability Reform.

In 2002, his colleagues elected him as Vice President of the Society, and he served the next two years as President-Elect and President. He continues to serve the Society as Chair of the Committee on Professional Liability, as an advisor to the Committees on Public Health and Legislation, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation.

Dr. Woodward’s efforts in medicine and health care have been felt far beyond the state medical society. As Chair of the MMS Committee on Legislation, he was instrumental in the passage of the Commonwealth’s Managed Care Patient Bill of Rights, enacted by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2000. Since 2007, he has served as a member of the Massachusetts Public Health Council of the state Department of Public Health, assisting in setting public health regulations for the state and advising the department. He was also co-chair with the Public Health Commissioner of the Task Force on Statewide Boarding and Patient Flow that was responsible for implementing the first statewide ban on ambulance diversion in 2009.

He currently serves as Chair of Tobacco Free Mass, a coalition of health organizations dedicated to eliminating tobacco use in the Commonwealth. He is also one of the founders of the Massachusetts Alliance for Communication and Resolution following Medical Injury, an alliance of patient advocacy groups, teaching hospitals, insurers, and statewide provider organizations committed to reforming medical liability through transparent communication, sincere apologies, and fair compensation in cases of avoidable medical harm.

One of the first physicians in Massachusetts to be residency trained and board certified in emergency medicine, Dr. Woodward began his practice at Newton Wellesley Hospital in 1981. In 1989, he was named Chief of Emergency Services at Emerson Hospital and later served as President of Emerson’s Medical Staff and as a member of its Board of Trustees. Now retired from clinical practice, he pursues his interests in patient advocacy, health policy issues, medical liability reform, and multiple public health improvement initiatives.

The Massachusetts Medical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award is the latest in a long list of honors and recognitions Dr. Woodward has received during his career. In 2014, he was honored by the Society with the Henry Ingersoll Bowditch Award for Excellence in Public Health and in 2001 received the Society’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Massachusetts Medical Society.

He is also a Past President of the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, which has honored him with three awards: the Pinnacle Award for Commitment to Quality Health Care in 2001, the President’s Award for Leadership and Dedication in Emergency Medicine in 1998, and the Vanguard Award for Outstanding Service in Emergency Medicine in 1995. The American College of Emergency Physicians has bestowed on him its Lifetime Fellow status and recognized him in 2008 as a Hero of Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Woodward received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Lafayette College, an M.S. in bioengineering from Columbia University, and his M.D. from Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed his internship at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and his residency in emergency medicine at Bowman Gray School of Medicine / North Carolina Baptist Hospital. He resides in Concord.

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 24,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and NEJM Journal Watch alerts and publications covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education for health care professionals throughout Massachusetts, conducting a variety of medical education programs for physicians and health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country.