Malden Physician Family Medicine Educator of the Year

MALDEN, Mass. – Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) physician Honor MacNaughton, MD, has won the 2016 Family Medicine Educator of the Year award presented by the Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians (MassAFP). The award recognizes exemplary clinical teaching of medical students in the specialty of family medicine.

The MassAFP presents the Family Medicine Educator of the Year award to recognize a physician who exemplifies the tradition of “Physician as Teacher.” Nominees are evaluated on recognized excellence in teaching and their compassion to patients and students. Other criteria include involvement in community activities that enhance quality of life, being a credible role model as a healer and human being in their community.

Dr. MacNaughton is a family medicine physician at the CHA Malden Family Medicine Center, where she also serves as the assistant program director of the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency at CHA, a nationally recognized training program. CHA’s family medicine team sees people of all ages and provides a wide range of care, including primary care, women’s health and pregnancy care, acupuncture and integrative medicine. Dr. MacNaughton is also a member of the Family Planning and OB/GYN Ambulatory Quality Improvement Committee at CHA and has served as the lead for the Malden Family Medicine Center Process Improvement Team.

Additionally, Dr. MacNaughton serves as faculty liaison to CHA’s school-based health initiative at Malden High School. She worked with an interdisciplinary team within CHA and Harvard Medical School to earn grant funding through the Harvard “Agents of Change” initiative to support expanded health services with the school.

“A key member of the core faculty,” said Alicia Agnoli, MD, MPH, of the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency at CHA, “Dr. MacNaughton has helped shape and improve the curriculum. Honor is the consummate mentor. Her manner of teaching is widely recognized as exemplary, by both her trainees and fellow colleagues.”

“Humble and approachable, compassionate and strong,” said Tufts Family Medicine Residency Director and CHA physician Gregory Sawin, MD, MPH. “Countless residents and students seek her out as a mentor and she graciously gives her time to help grow brilliant young physicians.”

“What would I share with someone who is interested in teaching family medicine?” asked Dr. MacNaughton. “Similar to patient care, the core of teaching to me starts with empathy.”

The 2016 award will be presented at MassAFP’s Annual Meeting at noon on March 18 at the Taj Hotel, Boston.

Cambridge Health Alliance is an academic community health system committed to providing high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville and Boston’s metro-north communities. CHA has expertise in primary care, specialty care and mental health/substance use services, as well as caring for diverse and complex populations. It includes three hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices and the Cambridge Public Health Dept. CHA patients have seamless access to advanced care through the system’s affiliation with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine. For more information, visit www.challiance.org.