AMA Honors Former Air Force Surgeon General with Top Government Service Award
WASHINGTON - March 6, 2014 - The American Medical Association (AMA) presented retired Lt. Gen. Paul K. Carlton, Jr., M.D., former Surgeon General of the United States Air Force, the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service. Dr. Carlton was selected for the AMA’s top government service award for his contribution to improving military trauma care and survival rates for injured members of the Armed Forces.
“It is an honor to present Dr. Carlton with this award in recognition of his pivotal contribution to transforming casualty care and management throughout the U.S. military medical system,” said AMA Chair David O. Barbe, M.D., MHA. “He was the principle architect of innovations in military trauma care and air transport evacuation systems that saved thousands of lives. Dr. Carlton’s contribution to saving military and civilian casualties is an inspiration to all other physicians.”
Dr. Carlton is one of four honorees chosen this year to receive the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service. The award, named for the founding father of the AMA, recognizes elected and career officials in federal, state or municipal service whose outstanding contributions have promoted the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.
This year marks the 25thanniversary of the Dr. Nathan Davis Awards. Since 1989, the AMA has honored 216 men and women with the Nathan Davis Award. Past award recipients have included:
• Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, who raised awareness of HIV/AIDS and the dangers of smoking.
• Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, who sought better health care for our nation’s veterans.
• Sen. Mark Hatfield, who championed research into rare diseases.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Ricardo Martinez, who worked with the auto industry and consumer groups to maximize automobile safety.
"During the last quarter century of the Nathan Davis Awards, the AMA has sought to recognize government officials who go above and beyond the call of duty to improve public health,” said Dr. Barbe. “Award winners have come from every branch of government service and are a testament to the important role public officials play in creating and implementing health policy that benefits Americans.”
Dr. Carlton was presented with the award last night at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. as part of the AMA’s National Advocacy Conference.
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The American Medical Association is the premier national organization dedicated to empowering the nation’s physicians to continually provide safer, higher quality, and more efficient care to patients and communities. For more than 165 years the AMA has been unwavering in its commitment to using its unique position and knowledge to shape a healthier future for America.