Pinoy doc gets another US award

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino-American doctor who is a native of Nueva Vizcaya is again set to be honored by a leading US medical association for his accomplishments in the field of family medicine.

Now a Chicago-based physician and educator, Dr. Christopher Guerrero will receive the Illinois Family Medicine Teacher Award of the Year 2010 from the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians on Dec. 4, the first Filipino-American to receive such award.

Guerrero’s latest feat came as a result of his nomination from the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, which cited him for his “transformative” inputs, knowledge and contributions for the further enhancement of medical practice, especially in family medicine. 

Dr. David Ramsey, a senior resident of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said Guerrero’s mentorship to his colleagues made them better doctors and medical practitioners. 

“I am very honored, humbled and very happy (to be) the first Filipino-American family physician awarded by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. I’m proud to be a Novo Vizcayano, foremost a Filipino,” Guerrero said in an email to The STAR.

A preceptor and lecturer at Chicago’s University of Illinois College of Medicine since 1996, Guerrero, who finished medicine at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC), has been a recipient of previous awards in the field of medicine. 

Last year, Guerrero was the only Filipino among the 50 awardees of the American Medical Association Foundation’s Excellence in Medicine Awards, a recognition given annually among US doctors by the foundation in partnership with Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative.

Guerrero, who, along with his group of local and foreign volunteers, has been conducting free medical missions in the province almost every year since the 1990s, also received the Hall of Fame in Medicine Award in 2006 from the Chicago-Midwest Filipino American Community.

In February, the UERMMMC also named him as the most outstanding alumnus for community service.