Sophie Davis Students Thank Those Who Serve and Protect

CCNY Public Safety Office, Local Police, Fire Units Recognized as Part of National Day of Solidarity for Compassionate Patient Care Salute

Students of the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Educationat The City College of New York joined with dozens of medical schools around the United States and Canada Monday, February 14, to observe the first National Day of Solidarity for Compassionate Patient Care.  The event was created by the Gold Humanism Honor Society of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to honor the spirit of caring exhibited by Dr. Randall Friese.  He was the first trauma surgeon to treat Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords after she was shot.

Sophie Davis students decided to say thank you to those in the community who keep them safe.  They presented thank-you cards signed by members of the student body to the City College Office of Public Safety, the 26th and 30th precincts of the New York Police Department and the Vinegar Hill firehouse of the New York Fire Department.  They also presented special “thank-yous” to the cleaning staff of Harris Hall and the Learning Resource Center.   

By participating in the event, the Sophie Davis students stood in solidarity with Dr. Friese and the University Medical Center team in Tucson, which saved Rep. Giffords and treated other victims of the January mass shooting there.  Other participating schools included: Stanford University, The Ohio State University, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, George Washington University, University of Florida, University of Virginia, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, University of Texas Medical Branch – Galveston and University of Alberta.

“It is a distinct honor to have my actions contribute to the organization of this event,” Dr. Friese wrote in a note to Dr. Jacqueline A. Mintz, executive director of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.  “I am pleased that a message of humanism in medicine is being communicated across the state and country.  When I described my actions in interviews about that awful day my goal was to help people understand the first few minutes of the congresswoman's evaluation in the ER.  Thank you for taking my small action and helping others understand its importance.”  

The Gold Humanism Honor Society is an international association of role models for compassionate patient care.  Top medical students, residents and faculty members are chosen for demonstrating outstanding empathy, compassion, altruism, integrity and service in working with patients.  Begun in 2002, GHHS has 92 chapters at medical schools across the United States and Canada and more than 11,000 members.  The Society supports chapter projects, holds a biennial national conference and educates medical students for leadership and advocacy.  GHHS is an initiative of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.  For more information about GHHS visithttp://bit.ly/GHHSinfo.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of health and patient care by enhancing the doctor-patient relationship.  Its work encourages the development of physicians who combine high-tech, cutting-edge medical science with the high-touch skills of communication, empathy and compassion.  Among the Foundation’s diverse programs are the White Coat Ceremonies held in 94 percent of U.S. medical schools, touching more than 18,000 students each year; the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine awards, which recognize graduating medical students and outstanding role model faculty members; an annual humanism in medicine essay contest; the Gold Humanism Honor Society; grants for service projects, and support for curricular change in medical education.  Find out more at www.humanism-in-medicine.org.