Waltham – March 23rd
– James J. Ledwith Jr., M.D., a family physician with the Fitchburg Family
Practice of UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Hospital, has been honored by his
physician peers of the Worcester North District Medical Society as its 2017
Community Clinician of the Year.
In selecting him
for the honor, his colleagues noted Dr. Ledwith’s efforts in medical education,
his leadership within the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, and his volunteer work at
as a physician in providing care for those unable to afford health care or
insurance.
An Assistant
Professor at UMass Medical School, Dr. Ledwith was Director of the UMass
Fitchburg Family Medicine Residency Program from 2008 to 2016, assisting in
recruiting and educating medical residents. He was appointed the program’s
Director of Education in 2016.
In addition to his
clinical duties as a family physician at HealthAlliance Hospital, he is a
member of the hospital’s Patient Care Management Committee, Perinatal
Committee, and is chairman of the Medical Education Committee.
In his community
work, he has been a volunteer physician at the Worcester Evening Free Medical
Service Program since 2006 and became medical director of the Epworth Methodist
Free Medical Program in 2011.
A researcher,
lecturer, and published author on a variety of medical topics, Dr. Ledwith is a
Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a member of Alpha Omega
Alpha, the national medical honor society.
He is also a member of the Association of Family Medicine Residency
Directors and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, along with the
Massachusetts and American Academy of Family Physicians.
He is the
recipient of many previous honors, including the Teacher of the Year and
Residency Service Award from the UMass Fitchburg Family Medicine Residency, the
Chair’s Award for Excellence and Service from the Department of Family Medicine
and Community Health at UMass Medical School, and the Champions of Excellence
Award from HealthAlliance Hospital. He has been a leader in engaging family
physicians in Massachusetts and across the country in safe use of opioids and
in providing office based treatment for opioid addiction. He resides in Franklin.
The Community
Clinician of the Year Award was established in 1998 by the Massachusetts
Medical Society to recognize a physician from each of the Society’s 20 district
medical societies who has made significant contributions to his or her patients
and the community.
The Massachusetts
Medical Society, with some 25,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated
to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts.
The Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, 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 providing accredited and certified
activities across the globe for physicians and other 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.
