Ophthalmologist is honored with Award for Distinguished Service
Contact: Richard P. Gulla
781-434-7101
rgulla@mms.org
Waltham, Mass. – May 1 – Weston resident George P. Santos, M.D. has been honored by the state medical society as the 2013 recipient of the Award for Distinguished Service to the Massachusetts Medical Society. The award, one of the organization’s most prestigious, recognizes a member physician who has demonstrated a strong commitment to the goals of the Society through leadership and committee work. He will receive the honor at the Society’s annual meeting May 10 in Boston.
Dr. Santos was honored for his nearly five decades of service to the society in a variety of positions. In recognizing his work, Ronald Dunlap, M.D., Massachusetts Medical Society President-Elect, said “His dedication and passion for the society as well as his distinguished service is substantiated by his involvement through leadership roles, key positions on committees, and ongoing support for physicians in Massachusetts through service on the Board of the Massachusetts Medical Benevolent Society. He has also been a trusted fiduciary of the society.”
Long active in the society, Dr. Santos served as Secretary-Treasurer for the medical society from 1997-2002. He was also a member of the House of Delegates and the Board of Trustees for ten years, president of the Charles River District Medical Society, and served on a number of committees, including Administration and Management, Bylaws, Finance, and Member Services, among others. Since 2005, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Medical Benevolent Society.
His most visible contribution to the society has been his involvement, with his wife Dorothea, in developing the medicinal garden at the society’s headquarters in Waltham. Both have devoted hours and weekends for more than a dozen years in tending to the garden, educating members and providing displays for the building’s lobby.
Retired from the practice of medicine since 1997, Dr. Santos earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine and was board certified in ophthalmology. He continues to hold teaching positions at Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston University School of Medicine.
Dr. Santos has also served as president of the Massachusetts Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons and the New England Ophthalmological Society. From 1970-1992, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Blindness. In 2001, he was honored by the Massachusetts Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons with its Distinguished Service Award.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, with nearly 24,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and Journal Watch alerts and newsletters covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education for health care professionals throughout Massachusetts, conducting a variety of medical education programs for physicians and health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. For more information please visit www.massmed.org, www.nejm.org, or www.jwatch.org.
