Washington, D.C., November 8, 2003 - Samuel LeBaron, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of family medicine and director for the Center of Education in Family and Community Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, was presented today with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) annual Humanism in Medicine Award. The award, sponsored by the AAMC and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative, honors a medical school faculty physician who is a mentor for medical students and a practitioner of patient-centered care.

In his academic, professional and personal life, Dr. Samuel LeBaron, who is trained both as a psychologist and a family practice physician, has been recognized as a compassionate teacher and mentor, a tireless advocate for the underserved, and a role model to his peers.

Recruited to develop Stanford medical school's required core clerkship in family and community medicine, Dr. LeBaron is now the director for the Center of Education in Family and Community Medicine. Under his leadership, the center has made the study of family practice a vital part of both the medical school's curriculum and of the university's academic culture as a whole. Dr. LeBaron teaches three courses on the subject of domestic and international underserved communities.

A mentor to students in his field, Dr. LeBaron has energized many future physicians with his enthusiasm and work ethic. His colleagues describe him as a model of compassion and integrity for everyone with whom he works - students, patients, physicians and staff.

In addition to his roles as a researcher and a teacher, Dr. LeBaron is a volunteer at the Arbor Free Clinic in Menlo Park, which provides care for the uninsured, and is credited with developing a student volunteer program at a similar clinic in the community. He is involved with the International Alliance in Service and Education, which was co-founded by his wife, where he delivers health care to needy communities in Mexico, facilitates student research projects with the alliance, and helps with the program's administration. Dr. LeBaron was also instrumental in the development of the Public Service Medical Scholars program at Stanford's medical school, which is a unique combination of classwork, research, and volunteerism.

Dr. LeBaron was awarded a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1979 from Michigan State University, and an M.D. in 1989 from the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine. He joined Stanford University School of Medicine in 1992. Of the many awards Dr. LeBaron has received from Stanford, ten have been for excellence in teaching, including the Arthur Bloomfield Award for Excellence in Teaching Clinical Medicine and the Kaiser Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching.

The Humanism in Medicine Award recipient is selected by the national selection committee of the AAMC's Organization of Student Representatives Administrative Board. The award recipient is chosen according to a number of criteria including, positive mentoring skills, involvement in community service, compassion and sensitivity, collaboration with students and patients, and modeling ethics of the profession.

The Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative is a research and educational program committed to understanding and strengthening the patient-physician relationship. It is a program of Pfizer Inc., the research-based global pharmaceutical company, www.positiveprofiles.com.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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