Oct 8, 2009

(Richmond, VA.) — The Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) Foundation announced today that Parker C. Dooley, M.D. of Nassawadox will receive the Foundation’s 2009 Salute to Service Awards for Outstanding Service on behalf of the Uninsured and Underserved.

Dr. Dooley came to the Eastern Shore of Virginia in 1978 as a National Health Scholar working in an underserved area. In the thirty years since, he has become an integral part of the Eastern Shore community, serving thousands of underserved and uninsured patients as both a private practice physician and as a physician and medical director for the Eastern Shore Rural Health System.

Under Dr. Dooley’s direction, Eastern Shore Rural Health has added the Chincoteague Island Community Health Center, begun providing dental services at several locations, and expanded its community health centers. A strong advocate for the consolidation of data, Dr. Dooley was instrumental in Eastern Shore Rural Health’s implementation of electronic health records.

Dr. Dooley’s service extends to the regional, state-wide and national level. He is a former president of the Accomack County Medical Society and has served as a board member and clinical representative for the Virginia Primary Care Association where he was recognized in 2000 as the “Provider of the Year.”

“Dr. Dooley has been an incredibly effective clinician and community leader, and he has dedicated his life to the service of our rural area. His work over the years has improved the quality of life for countless patients and he has done this for the love of medicine and the love of the people of the Eastern Shore,” said Thomas G. Hollandsworth, M.D., a family practitioner with the Onley Medical Center. The MSV Foundation created the annual Salute to Service Awards in 2004 to recognize outstanding efforts of physicians, medical students, and alliance members who are dedicated to creating and nurturing a caring health promotion and disease prevention environment by providing service on behalf of patients everywhere.

The 2009 Salute to Service Awards are provided courtesy of Centra, and the award and scholarship for the medical student/resident recipient are provided by the MSV Alliance. The MSV Foundation will present the 2009 Salute to Service Awards at this year’s Physicians’ Gala, set for October 24 at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia.

Other winners include:

• Sen. Ralph S. Northam, M.D., of Norfolk, Service on behalf of all Virginians
• Mark H. Ryan, M.D., of Richmond, Service on behalf of the Medical Profession
• John Gerard Kenerson, M.D., and Lisbet M. Hanson, M.D., Virginia Beach, Service on behalf of the International Community
• P. Brody Wehman of Richmond, Service by a Medical Student or Resident

Placing an emphasis on the needs of the uninsured and underserved, the MSV Foundation advances opportunities for physicians to participate in health improvement efforts in Virginia, and supports educational programs for physicians and the public. For more information, visit www.msvfoundation.org.