WASHINGTON — The American Medical Association (AMA) presented Richard “Doc” Izquierdo, M.D., with the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Public Service. Dr. Izquierdo has served his Bronx community for nearly six decades as a physician, health care innovator, community leader and Medical Society advocate. He was chosen for the AMA’s top public service award for his lifetime of work, serving generations of Bronx residents.
Dr. Izquierdo has dedicated his entire career to furthering health and opportunity in his Bronx community. With a $3,000 down payment, he founded the San Juan Health Center, which in 1974 became Urban Health plan, Inc., and today is one of the largest health centers in New York State. Dr. Izquierdo also served as the first chairman of the Community Planning Board and as Chairman of the 41st Precinct Community Council for 14 years.
In 2010 Dr. Izquierdo fulfilled a lifelong dream when he opened the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter School. The first school of its kind, it provides technical education geared specifically toward preparing students for jobs in the health care sector, including Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification.
“Dr. Izquierdo put down roots for good nearly 60 years ago when he opened his first practice two blocks from where he grew up in the Bronx,” said AMA Board Chair Jack Resneck, Jr., M.D. “Not only has he treated generations of patients from his community, but he has built, in his charter school and health center, a legacy that will serve the Bronx for years to come.”
Dr. Richard Izquierdo was one of eight honorees chosen this year to receive the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Public Service. The award, named for Dr. Nathan Davis, a member of the Medical Society for the State of New York, and the founding father of the AMA, recognizes those in service whose outstanding contributions have promoted the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.
Dr. Izquierdo attended University of Lausanne Medical School, and completed his internship and residency at Fordham Hospital in New York. The AMA presented Dr. Izquierdo with the Dr. Nathan Davis Award last night at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. as part of the AMA’s National Advocacy Conference.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
