Please join the Academy/DPHA for our 95th Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony!
Agenda
Honorees
Lewis B. Flinn President’s Award: Anand Panwalker, MD, MACP, FIDSA
Dr. Panwalker was the Vice President for Patient and Family Relations, Clinical Excellence and Professionalism at ChristianaCare in Newark, Delaware, and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Sidney Kimmel College of Medicine at Jefferson University. He has been President of the Medical/Dental Staff and Chief of Infectious Disease at ChristianaCare.
Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Associate Professor at Jefferson Medical College, and Chief of Infectious Disease at the VA Medical Center, Wilmington. He has written numerous articles focused on antimicrobial therapies and is the author of a memoir The Place of Cold Water, which details his early life in Kenya, medical training in India, and his post-graduate work in Chicago. His perspective from life on three continents is a poignant and sobering narrative.
Sick and Scared… his second book, examines the work we must do to fix our dysfunctional health care system. Dr. Panwalker became an ACP member in 1977 and a Fellow in 1979. He has been active in the Delaware Chapter, having received both the Laureate and Leonard Lang Awards, the latter given to one exemplifying the qualities of an outstanding internist. In April 2024, the American College of Physicians conferred the title of Master to him in recognition of his clinical and academic endeavors. He is one of only eight Delaware physicians ever given this award in the past 100 years.
His many teaching awards include two Golden Apples as well as the Best Attending of the Year at the University of Illinois, the Distinguished Teaching Award for House staff Education at Jefferson, Teacher of the Year at Christiana Care, the Mark Maxwell Award at Christiana Care for compassionate and ethical care and the Delaware HIV consortium Award for the care of veterans with HIV/AIDs and the Commendation for Excellence Award from the entire medical staff at Christiana Care. Since his transition from direct clinical responsibilities to leadership roles within Christiana Care, he remained a crucial voice in support of clinical excellence and professionalism introducing a Just Culture within the health care system. He retired in November 2024.
Executive Director’s Public Health Recognition Award: Delaware State University, Department of Public & Allied Health Sciences
Delaware State University’s Department of Public and Allied Health Sciences, housed under the Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, offers Associate of Science, Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health (MPH) degree programs. The new Master of Public Health (MPH) program, scheduled to launch in March of 2025, will offer concentrations in Global Health and Epidemiology. There has been substantial program growth in recent years, expanding student enrollment, academic offerings, and community outreach in the rapidly evolving field of population health.
DSU Public Health students and faculty actively engage in internships and health equity research training through the ACCEL-Clinical and Translational Research and RCMI grants, as well as the Health Equity Institute of Delaware (HEIDE). The primary objective of these initiatives is to conduct Delaware-specific health equity research, thereby enhancing state policymaking and evaluating the long-term impact of public health interventions. The Public Health faculty and students have also made significant contributions to addressing food insecurity. The DSU Food Pantry, established in 2016, operates as a self-supporting entity that provides food and toiletries to community members in need. In recognition of its impactful work on food insecurity within the academic setting, the DSU Food Pantry was awarded the Delaware Wellness Hero distinction by the Lieutenant Governor in 2022.
Through innovative academic offerings, strategic partnerships, and impactful initiatives, Public Health degree programs at Delaware’s only HBCU (Historically Black College or University) continue to advance with the mission of improving health outcomes for individuals and communities at the local, national, and global levels.
Keynote Speaker
Said Ibrahim, MD, MPH, MBA: Dean, Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Thomas Jefferson University)
Dr. Said Ibrahim is the Anthony F. and Gertrude M. DePalma Dean at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College and President of Jefferson University Physicians. Before joining Jefferson, he held faculty and leadership roles at Northwell Health, Hofstra’s Zucker School of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded physician-scientist, Dr. Ibrahim has researched racial/ethnic variations in knee and hip replacements for end-stage osteoarthritis for over 20 years, focusing on eliminating healthcare inequities. He has received an NIH K24 award for mentoring future researchers in healthcare disparities. His work emphasizes the link between healthcare disparities and workforce diversity.
Dr. Ibrahim was recently inducted into the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for his contributions to health and research. He has served as Associate Editor for several journals, including the American Journal of Public Health, and is currently Associate Editor for The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Health Forum. He has also been an NIH Council member for multiple institutes, advocating for health equity and addressing disparities in healthcare.
Event Details
When: Wednesday, April 30, 2025, from 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Where: Hyatt Place Wilmington Riverfront – 760 S. Justison St, Wilmington, DE 19801
THANK YOU to our SPONSORS!
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