Henri Ford, M.D.
As
the son of a minister in Haiti, Henri Ford, M.D., was accustomed to
people coming to the family home for help. Watching his parents respond
to others’ needs for food or spiritual assistance taught Ford that
giving to others was a prerogative of human beings.
“The concept of caring and sharing are principles that I grew up with,”
said Ford, professor of Surgery and vice dean for Medical Education at
the Keck School of Medicine and vice
president and chief of surgery at Keck School-affiliated
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
That instinctive devotion to service has resulted in Ford being awarded
the American
Association
of Medical Colleges
(AAMC) Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award,
presented at the association’s Nov. 5 annual meeting in Denver.
Photo: Henri Ford, M.D., and Thomas J. Lawley, M.D., AAMC chair / courtesy of AAMC/Richard Greenhouse
Medical students nominate the faculty honored with this award. Students
stated in their nomination that “Dr. Ford is a true hero and
exemplifies the professional and personal qualities of a great doctor.”
Students also praised Ford for his mentorship and compassionate care of
his patients.
“We admire and appreciate Dr. Ford's generosity to medical students in
helping them reach their highest potential,” said Keck School of
Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. “His work in Haiti is
an example of his commitment to service, and he has been inspirational
to our students. We agree with them that he very much deserves this
prestigious award.”
Ford is one of nine clinicians and educators honored by AAMC for their
exemplary contributions to academic medicine. The AAMC also honors one
teaching hospital. Ford was chosen for his mentorship of young people,
especially medical students, as well as his work as a pediatric
surgeon, his efforts to treat victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and
his contributions to improving the health care structure of that
nation.
“Dr. Ford always has the best interests of children at the forefront of
everything he does, whether it’s caring for patients at our hospital,
teaching the next generation of medical students, or leading multiple
relief efforts in his home country of Haiti,” said Richard D. Cordova,
FACHE, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “By
sharing his life in all of these ways, Dr. Ford offers all of us an
inspirational example that we can emulate.”
Ford was lauded for his commitment to young people, who he mentors in
his lab and encourages through medical school. The opportunity to help
shape the future of medical care drives Ford’s guidance of students to
find the careers that best suit their potential.
“This is a great opportunity to help mold the next generation of
caring, compassionate and competent physicians,” he said. “Through
medical education we can have a tremendous impact on global health,
because these students will deliver care, shape health care policy, and
promote advances in biotechnology and biomedical research. As medical
educators, we need to inspire them and make sure they are on the right
path.”
The award also recognizes Ford’s work to discover and implement
surgical alternatives for several pediatric disorders, and his research
in the areas of pediatric trauma and necrotizing enterocolitis, a
life-threatening gastrointestinal disease affecting newborns.
His contributions to the relief effort in Haiti received special
mention. Ford was one of the first surgeons on the ground after the
quake devastated the small Caribbean country. As a pediatric surgeon in
a nation where nearly half the population is under the age of 15, his
assistance was greatly needed.
Ford continues to travel to Haiti to help improve the country’s health
care infrastructure and works in partnership with the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health and Project Hope
to lead a group of medical educators working to promote reform in
medical education and training. He also is working with the Haitian
Ministry of Health, Project Medishare, and the Interim Commission for
Haiti’s Reconstruction, co-chaired by former President Clinton and
Haiti's Prime Minister, to help establish a trauma and critical care
system in the country.
Through his work in Haiti, Ford has projected an example that seems to
have influenced students. Ford notes that many Keck School students are
already signing up to volunteer in schools, prisons and other places
where their training can make a difference.
“That shows that the spirit of humanism is well developed in our
students, and it makes me proud,” he said. “This award tells me the
Keck School students have understood the message that we should care
not only for one another and our patients, but also for people all over
the world.”