Medical Faculty Member Selected as National Finalist

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MACON – Dr. Jeffrey Stephens, an internal medicine professor at Mercer University School of Medicine, was recently named a finalist for the 2004 Humanism in Medicine Award, an annual award sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) through the support of the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative.

Dr. Stephens was one of 65 honorees from across the nation nominated by the AAMC Organization of Student Representatives, based on five defining characteristics of humanism in medical education: positive mentoring skills, activity in community service, compassion/sensitivity, collaboration and observance of professional ethics.

“The medical students who nominated Dr. Stephens recognized the human qualities that make him both an outstanding teacher and an outstanding physician,” said Dr. Ann Jobe, dean of the School of Medicine. “It’s through the stellar example of mentors like Dr. Stephens that the next generation of physicians will learn how to practice compassion, partnership and understanding in the practice of medicine.”

Currently, Dr. Stephens is a physician at Macon’s Hope Center, a professor of internal medicine at Mercer’s School of Medicine and an adjunct instructor for Mercer’s Southern School of Pharmacy. His research is in infectious diseases such as AIDS, meningitis and tuberculosis. Dr. Stephens is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Medical Association, the Infectious Disease Society of America and Medical Association of Georgia, among others.

About Mercer University and the School of Medicine:

Mercer University School of Medicine was established in 1982 to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the primary care and health care needs of rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia. Students entering Mercer University School of Medicine will be graduated from a school that utilizes a problem-based medical education program that provides early patient care experiences. Such an academic environment fosters the early development of clinical problem-solving and instills in each student an awareness of the place of the basic medical sciences in medical practice.

Founded in 1833, Mercer University has campuses in Macon and Atlanta as well as three regional academic centers. With 10 schools and colleges, the University offers programs in liberal arts, business, engineering, education, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, law and theology. For 15 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has named Mercer University as one of the leading universities in the South.