The award honors a graduate of UC Davis whose entire lifetime since graduation reflects exemplary and outstanding performance and achievements. Specific criteria used during the selection process include a culmination of lifetime achievements, service to the university, and community and public service.

An alumnus of the UC Davis class of 1964, and volunteer clinical faculty member for UC Davis Medical Center since 1974, Osborn was promoted to full clinical professor in plastic surgery in 1991. He currently serves on the School of Medicine Alumni Association 2009–2011 Board of Directors.

Osborn volunteers his time as a member of the Sutter Hospital Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Panel, which meets monthly with representatives from other specialties, including dentists, pediatricians, speech therapists, dieticians, audiologists, orthodontists and social workers, involved in the care of cleft lip and palate patients. The panel provides an interdisciplinary approach for diagnostic consultation and develops an individual treatment plan for each child.

"I have also enjoyed my time on the volunteer clinical faculty, teaching residents in plastic surgery. Our group in town (The Plastic Surgery Center) is starting a fellowship program in July that will be associated with the plastic surgery program at UC Davis."

— Plastic surgeon John Osborn

"I have been a member of the panel since 1974 and was the physician director for 23 years. In the 1980s, I brought in Seth Thaller, M.D., from UC Davis, who had a fellowship in cranialfacial anomalies, and we expanded the panel into the Joint Sutter Community Hospital – UCD Cleft Palate Anomaly Panel, which continues to this day," said Osborn. "Dr. Thaller subsequently left for Florida, and Dr. Granger Wong from the plastic surgery department at UC Davis is our cranial-facial surgeon on the panel at present, along with other plastic surgeons, dentists and physicians from the community who also donate their time to help with the cleft lip and palate patients."

Dr. Osborn has travelled to Piura, Peru, with Interplast, a volunteer humanitarian organization (now called ReSurge) that sends around 30 teams a year to developing countries to perform surgery on children with cleft lips and palates as well as burn scar deformities.

Throughout the years, Osborn has been active in local programs benefiting children, including the March of Dimes, Stanford Children’s Home and for his church summer camp, where he has spent "at least 100 weeks" as a counselor, director or camp nurse. The camp, which hosts youths of all ages, is located in the coastal range of mountains inland from Fort Ross, near the town of Cazadero, north of the Russian River.

"I have also enjoyed my time on the volunteer clinical faculty, teaching residents in plastic surgery. Our group in town (The Plastic Surgery Center) is starting a fellowship program in July that will be associated with the plastic surgery program at UC Davis. One of our present residents in plastic surgery will be our first fellow. I’m very much looking forward to July 1, when Dr. Song joins us, so I can get more involved in hands-on teaching again."

In his spare time, Osborn enjoys spending time with his wife, Katie, and his children, Staci and Michael. His leisure activities include music, tennis, skiing, and singing in a barbershop quartet.