Concord Resident Dr. Alan Woodward receives public health award from the Massachusetts Medical Society

Named after a leading figure in medicine and public health in the 19th century, the award is presented to a Massachusetts physician who demonstrates creativity, commendable citizenship, initiative, innovation and leadership in the public health and advocacy fields. He will receive the award, one of the Society’s most prestigious honors, at the organization’s annual meeting May 16 in Boston.

One of the state’s leading public health advocates, Dr. Woodward is currently a member of the Massachusetts Public Health Council of the state Department of Public Health and Chair of Tobacco Free Mass, a coalition of health organizations, institutions and agencies dedicated to eliminating tobacco use in the Commonwealth.  

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 and then in 1989 was named Chief of Emergency Services at Emerson Hospital. Now retired from clinical practice, he pursues his interests in patient advocacy, health policy issues including medical liability reform and multiple public health improvement initiatives.

A member of the Massachusetts Medical Society since 1983, he has served the organization in a number of capacities. A member of numerous committees and task forces over the years, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees and has chaired the Society’s Committees on Legislation, Administration and Management, Public Health, and its 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 is currently a member of the Board of Trustees, Chair of the Committee on Professional Liability, and a member of the Committee on Public Health and the House of Delegates. He is also a board member of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation. He has also served as President of the Middlesex Central District Medical Society, President of the Emerson Hospital Medical Staff, and President of the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians.

His previous honors include the Award for Distinguished Service to the Massachusetts Medical Society in 2001 and three awards from the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians: 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 honored him with Lifetime Fellow status and recognized him in 2008 as a Hero of Emergency Medicine.

A graduate of Lafayette College with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering, Dr. Woodward received an M.S. in bioengineering from Columbia University and an M.D. from Tulane University School of Medicine. He has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine since 1986.

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.