WALTHAM –Dr. M. Donna Younger has been honored by the
Massachusetts Medical Society as the 2018 recipient of its Lifetime Achievement
Award, given to a member of the Society who has made lasting contributions to
the practice of medicine over a lifetime in health care delivery, patient care,
education, and administration and who has made significant contributions to the
goals of the Society.
Younger, a Jamaica Plain resident, is a clinical physician
at Joslin Diabetes Center, specializing in diabetes and pregnancy complications
and in caring for children with diabetes.
As the protégé of Drs. Elliott Joslin and Priscilla White, Younger
has provided empathetic and compassionate care for thousands of children and
adolescents with diabetes, and 45 year ago inaugurated the Joslin Youth Clinic,
now considered as the ‘role model’ for such clinics.
“(Dr. Younger’s) work in diabetes and pregnancy started with
Dr. Priscilla White and has led to drastic reductions in morbidity and
mortality nationally and worldwide,” said colleague Dr. Edith Jolin, who
nominated Younger for the award. “Beyond her excellent care for patients, Dr.
Younger has been a role model teacher and mentor for generations of trainees,
especially women, teaching them the practice of medicine with respect and
empathy for every patient.”
Younger’s multifaceted approach to diabetes care helped pave
the way for protocol that is improving patient outcomes today.
“(Younger)
inaugurated the Joslin Youth Clinic over 45 years ago, unique at that time but
now considered as the ’role model’ for such clinics,” said Dr. Ronald Arky, Daniel D. Federman Distinguished
Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at Harvard Medical School
and a past recipient of the MMS Lifetime Achievement Award. “Donna displayed heroism
over many years defending the Joslin protocol of ‘tight control of diabetes’- a
protocol skeptics felt to be too severe and outside of the mainstream for the
average individual with diabetes. Extensive clinical research has proven Donna
to be right.”
Colleagues
from across the medical field struggling with their own wellbeing have
benefitted from Younger’s compassion.
“(Younger) was
an innovator in recognizing and caring for the impaired physician, and a leader
in the effort to provide support and rehabilitation, instead of rejection and
scorn, to colleagues
struggling with mental illness, addiction, and other personal crises,” said Dr.
Charles A. Welch, past president of MMS. “She made the Massachusetts Medical
Society a leader in the field of physician rehabilitation, and many colleagues
owe their careers to her compassionate support in their darkest hour.”
Younger has for decades been
active on the Council of the Mass Medical Benevolent Society, including seven
years as president. Additionally, she is a fellow for MMS on the Board of
Trustees of the Boston Medical Library, the library of the MMS
A graduate of State University of New York, College of
Medicine at NYC and a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society since 1961, Younger
is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Diabetes
Association, the American College of Endocrinology and a fellow, American
College of Physicians.
The Massachusetts Medical
Society (MMS) is the statewide professional association for physicians and
medical students, supporting 25,000 members. We are dedicated to educating and
advocating for the physicians of Massachusetts and patients locally and nationally.
A leadership voice in health care, the MMS contributes physician and patient
perspectives to influence health-related legislation at the state and federal
levels, works in support of public health, provides expert advice on physician
practice management, and addresses issues of physician well-being. Under the
auspices of the NEJM Group, the MMS extends our mission globally by advancing
medical knowledge from research to patient care through the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM
Catalyst, and the NEJM Journal Watch family of specialty publications, and
through our education products for health care professionals: NEJM Knowledge+,
NEJM Resident 360, and our accredited and comprehensive continuing medical
education programs.
