The American historian, Henry Adam, said, “a teacher affects eternity, for he can never tell where his influence stops.”
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) places exceptionally high value upon its educational goals; stressing the importance of preparing students to become osteopathic medical professionals through programs of excellence in education, research, clinical care, and community service that enhance the quality of life through improved health for all humanity. There are few educators and medical professionals who have better defined that commitment to excellence and that concentration upon service than has Dr. Robert J. George. He has encouraged LECOM students to strive for professionalism, advancing an awareness of humanity to carry those principles forward when they become practicing physicians.
Dr. Robert George, the man behind a spate of credentials, a compelling professional history, and an array of accomplishments unmistakably marks the mission central to LECOM.
LECOM takes great honor in paying tribute to Dr. Robert George, the recent recipient of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association (FOMA) Distinguished Service Award.
The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor that FOMA can bestow upon an individual. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishment in science, professionalism, osteopathic education, service to the osteopathic profession, and to the citizens of Florida on a state and national level.
Osteopathic practitioners know that the whole person is not simply composed of a history of accomplishments or an accrual of august positions; rather it is the amalgam of the man behind those accomplishments that separates him from all others.
With the foregoing in mind, it is clear that not only has Dr. Robert George been a leader in education, but he has personified all that it means to be a community servant and philanthropist. His capable and superlative work as the former Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at LECOM Bradenton placed him in the very forefront of providing for the healthcare needs of the Southwest Florida region.
Since that time, Dr. George has championed various community programs across the region and throughout the state to foster an academic health system with the goal of bringing the best quality health care to the communities that he touches. He has done this by practicing the principles of osteopathic medicine throughout all aspects of his work – and by creating affiliations with organizations that provide further opportunities for better training of new physicians.
Dr. George has demonstrated unparalleled commitment to the Southwest Florida community, generously supporting organizations such as the Galvano One-Stop Center for the homeless and indigent, the Cancer Support Community, and the V Foundation – a national charity to raise money for cancer research. Even as an Emeritus, Dr. George intrinsically lives the LECOM mission that pledges community service as a seminal part of the commitment to prepare students to become more compassionate caregivers. Dr. George has set that example by supporting those organizations that have similar goals and aims as those advanced by LECOM.
Many LECOM successes have come about in noteworthy measure due to the unfaltering leadership of Dr. Robert George. His unflinching integrity has been evident in each aspect of his work. The people with whom he has interacted know that his word is his bond and that surety is inspirational. His self-discipline and his persistent and courageous spirit has shepherded his actions and his convictions. Dr. George never has avoided the challenging path; finding great purpose in his life’s mission as a central principle. Such sense of purpose is essential to leaders and Dr. George at all times, has been possessed of great direction, goal, and mission.
LECOM celebrates the countless noteworthy achievements in a life of purposed mission as Dr. Robert George receives well-deserved accolades as the recipient of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association Distinguished Service Award.