CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA) presented Charles E. Moore, M.D., an Atlanta-based ear, nose, and throat physician, with the Benjamin Rush Award for Citizenship and Community Service. The award recognizes physicians who have gone above and beyond their professional call of duty to make an outstanding contribution to the community.

Dr. Moore was chosen by the AMA for his exceptional dedication to providing accessible and equitable medical services and health education to the people of Atlanta’s marginalized and minoritized communities. His life of service has been devoted to mitigating the conditions that determine whether people have access to the health care services and resources they need to thrive.

“It is an honor to present Dr. Moore with this AMA award honoring his dedication to helping those in greatest need of care and confronting the underlying reasons that create health disparities,” said AMA President Susan R. Bailey, M.D. “His pursuit of health equity has strived for the highest possible standard of health for all people and given special attention to the needs of those at greatest risk of poor health. He is an inspiration to all physicians and his commitment to the betterment of public health sets a high bar to which we should all strive to attain.”

Building from what began with neighborhood outreach on head and neck cancer awareness, Dr. Moore would create and found the Health Education Assessment and Leadership (HEAL) Coalition in 2004 to provide health education and medical services to the under-served and under-resourced neighborhoods in Atlanta. Three years later, he would create the HEALing Community Center, a federally qualified community health care center to address the needs of uninsured patients living in poverty. Now in four locations in metro Atlanta, the HEALing Community Center offers preventive, primary and specialty care for patient of all ages.

In addition to serving as president the HEALing Community Center, Dr. Moore is a director of Emory University’s Urban Health Initiative that works to eliminate health disparities and social determinants of health inequity. Dr. Moore is also a professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery at Emory School of Medicine and chief of the Department of Otolaryngology for Grady Health Systems.

One of the AMA’s highest honors, this award commemorates the memory of Benjamin Rush, a physician, teacher, delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The award was presented to Dr. Moore during the opening session of the 2020 Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates.