The 2013 Watkins-Saunders Award recognizes excellence in clinical, medical, and community work focused on diminishing healthcare disparities in Maryland. The recipient will be acknowledged at the 2013 Heart Ball on February 23, 2013. Nominators and recipients will be notified by January 31, 2013.
Dr. Elijah Saunders accepts the 2012 Watkins-Saunders Award
Qualifications
A nominee must have a demonstrated record of leadership in the field for closing the gap in healthcare disparities. Secondly, an individual or group must have demonstrated leadership accomplishments over his/her career in the field and have received formal recognition for them.
Nomination Submittal
Award Presentation
February 23, 2013 at the 2013 Baltimore Heart Ball at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel
Review and Scoring
The Awards Committee will receive and review all nominations submitted by the deadlin for the Watkins-Saunders Award. Each committee member will score the 5 areas of the nomination.
- Nominee's name, address, telephone number, position and company/organization in which he/she is currently employed.
- A detailed description of the work the nominee has performed; the impact of the work; any special qualities, creativity and/or resourcefulness this nominee has demonstrated; and length of involvement in working to combat disparities.
- Reasons why the nominee should be recognized by this award.
- Nominator's name, address, and telephone number
Growing up in Alabama exposed him to widespread prejudice and to the early civil rights movement, both of which would have lasting effects. He initially attended First Baptist Church of Montgomery and became close friends with his pastor, Dr. Ralph David Abernathy and family; later he attended Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where he was first introduced to Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family.
After graduating from high school, he attended Tennessee State University where he majored in biology and continued the development of his political interests by becoming president of the student body. He led many student movements on that campus and, in addition, graduated with highest honors. While at Tennessee State he was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Alpha Kappa Mu honor society, Beta Kappa Chi honor society, and many other organizations.
In 1966 he integrated the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, becoming the first black ever admitted and the first black to graduate from that institution. He was later honored by that institution by being selected to become a member of Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. In June 1998, he was honored again being awarded the Vanderbilt Medal of Honor for outstanding alumni. Further recognition came in October 2002, when Vanderbilt established a Professorship and Associate Deanship in his name because of his work for diversity in medical education. In October 2005 his portrait was unveiled at the School of Medicine, honoring his life's work and commitment to Vanderbilt. In October 2008, he received the university's "Most Distinguished Alumnus Award".
In 1970 he went to Johns Hopkins Hospital as a surgical intern and in 1978 became the first black chief resident in cardiac surgery at that institution. He interrupted his surgical training between 1973 and 1975 to develop his research interest at the Harvard Medical School Department of Physiology. There he defined the role of the renin-angiotensin system during congestive heart failure. This and other work led to the clinical use of angiotensin blockers in the treatment of congestive heart failure today. After completing residency, he joined the full time faculty in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Johns Hopkins. Since joining the faculty, Levi has pursued several different interests, both professional and political. Professionally, he performed the world's first human implantation of the automatic implantable defibrillator in February of 1980 and subsequently developed several different techniques for the implantation of this device. To date, over 1 million devices have been implanted and the lives of approximately 2/3 of these patients have been saved with this treatment. He has also helped develop the cardiac arrhythmia service at Hopkins where various new open-heart techniques are now being performed to treat patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. His interest in coronary heart disease in blacks led to his research in that area.
Early exposure to the civil rights movement and its leaders sealed Levi's commitment to racial equality, particularly in the area of medicine. In 1979 he joined the admissions committee of the medical school, and after four years, minority representation increased 400%. Similarly, growth has now occurred in the faculty and house staff. In May of 1983, the largest number of black physicians ever to graduate from Johns Hopkins finished the institution. His efforts were recognized nationally and in 1983 he was appointed to the National Board of the Robert Wood Johnson Minority Faculty Development Program. This program seeks to increase the number of minority medical faculty nationally. His interest in worldwide human rights led him to initiate the arumal Martin Luther King commemoration at Johns Hopkins University. He has brought to the program many world
leaders among whom are Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King III, Mayor Andrew Young, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Benjamin Hooks, and Zenani Mandela Dlamini, daughter of Nelson and Winnie Mandela. While the program honors King, it focuses attention on global humanitarian issues. Because of his work in both medicine and human rights, the Sojourner-Douglass College conferred upon him the Doctorate of Humane Letters in July 1988. In May 1989 a second doctorate was conferred by Meharry Medical College. In May 1996 he received a third doctorate from Spelman College. In May of 1997, he along with President William Clinton received a doctorate from Morgan State University.
In June 1991, he was promoted to full Professor of Cardiac Surgery, and that September appointed Dean for Postdoctoral Programs and Faculty Development in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In this capacity, he helped revolutionize the culture for postdoctoral education in America by working to establish the nation's first postdoctoral association. Today, over fifty associations now exist throughout America. For this, he was featured in the September 1999 issue of Science, the official publication for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1986 he, along with Oprah Winfrey, was named Baltimore's Best by then Mayor William Donald Schaffer. In April of 1993 his life and work were featured on national television on PBS' New Explorers program entitled "A Dream Fulfilled." In 1996 his life was featured again on Maryland Public TV. In June 1999, he was the recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Heritage Award for exceptional contributions and devotion of the university. In May 2000, he was honored nationally by the Guidant Corporation for his pioneering work on the automatic defibrillator. In December 2008, he was honored by the National Black Caucus of State Legislatures with the Nation Builders Awards, along with President-Elect Barack Obama and James H. Meredith.
Four recently published books, African-American Medical Pioneers by Charles H. Epps, Jr., Here Is My Hope by Randi Henderson, They Too Call Alabama Home by Richard Bailey and Noteworthy Publications by African-American Surgeons by Claude H. Organ, Jr., M.D., all feature his achievements.
ELIJAH SAUNDERS, MD, FACC, FACP
Lifetime Honorary Trustee
University of Maryland, School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
Connect with Dr. Saunders!
Dr. Elijah Saunders is professor of medicine, head of the Division of Hypertension and (former) clinical director of the Hypertension and Vascular Biology Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. He also serves as clinical associate professor of medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He is vice-president for Graduate Medical Education and Affiliations at the University of Maryland.
Dr. Saunders received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and his bachelor of science degree from Morgan State College. He completed both his residency and a fellowship in cardiology at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore.
Dr Saunders has received the American Heart Association (AHA) Award of Merit, Louis B. Russell Award (highest award for contribution to cardiovascular minority health), and the Presidential Award from the Maryland Affiliate. He is a member of the AHA Council on Clinical Cardiology and the Council on High Blood Pressure Research. He has served on all levels of both the national and local AHA. He has also served on numerous panels, study groups, site visit groups and committees including the Advisory Council of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He has been an active researcher in the field of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, especially as these problems affect African Americans.
Dr. Saunders is a founding member, past chairman of the board and past president of the Association of Black Cardiologists; immediate past president, current chairman of the board, and founder of both the International Society of Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB) and the (former) Urban Cardiology Research Center, Inc., (Baltimore, MD). He is the co-founder of Heart House of the American College of Cardiology; a charter member of the American Society of Hypertension; past president of the Maryland High Blood Pressure Coordinating Council; former commissioner of the Maryland High Blood Pressure Commission; and chairman, Maryland Advisory Council on High Blood Pressure and related Cardiovascular Risk Factors.
A fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians and the American College of Angiology, Dr. Saunders has lectured extensively on hypertension and its concomitant diseases, especially as it affects populations such as Blacks and the elderly. He is co-author of the medical textbook, Hypertension in Black: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology and Treatment, and a book for the public on high blood pressure. He is chief editor of the textbook, Cardiovascular Diseases in Black. He has appeared on numerous radio, television, and video productions and has also written extensively for numerous medical journals, textbooks, and consumer magazines on the diagnosis, treatment, and control of hypertension, particularly in Black populations.
During 1996-1997, Dr. Saunders was on sabbatical leave from the University of Maryland, conducting research in England on dietary salt, salt sensitivity and hypertension in an African-Caribbean population. In May 1998, Dr. Saunders was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from his undergraduate alma mater, Morgan State University. In May 1999, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Medical University of South Carolina.
ELIJAH SAUNDERS, MD, FACC, FACP
Lifetime Honorary Trustee
University of Maryland, School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
Connect with Dr. Saunders!
Dr. Elijah Saunders is professor of medicine, head of the Division of Hypertension and (former) clinical director of the Hypertension and Vascular Biology Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. He also serves as clinical associate professor of medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He is vice-president for Graduate Medical Education and Affiliations at the University of Maryland.
Dr. Saunders received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and his bachelor of science degree from Morgan State College. He completed both his residency and a fellowship in cardiology at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore.
Dr Saunders has received the American Heart Association (AHA) Award of Merit, Louis B. Russell Award (highest award for contribution to cardiovascular minority health), and the Presidential Award from the Maryland Affiliate. He is a member of the AHA Council on Clinical Cardiology and the Council on High Blood Pressure Research. He has served on all levels of both the national and local AHA. He has also served on numerous panels, study groups, site visit groups and committees including the Advisory Council of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He has been an active researcher in the field of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, especially as these problems affect African Americans.
Dr. Saunders is a founding member, past chairman of the board and past president of the Association of Black Cardiologists; immediate past president, current chairman of the board, and founder of both the International Society of Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB) and the (former) Urban Cardiology Research Center, Inc., (Baltimore, MD). He is the co-founder of Heart House of the American College of Cardiology; a charter member of the American Society of Hypertension; past president of the Maryland High Blood Pressure Coordinating Council; former commissioner of the Maryland High Blood Pressure Commission; and chairman, Maryland Advisory Council on High Blood Pressure and related Cardiovascular Risk Factors.
A fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians and the American College of Angiology, Dr. Saunders has lectured extensively on hypertension and its concomitant diseases, especially as it affects populations such as Blacks and the elderly. He is co-author of the medical textbook, Hypertension in Black: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology and Treatment, and a book for the public on high blood pressure. He is chief editor of the textbook, Cardiovascular Diseases in Black. He has appeared on numerous radio, television, and video productions and has also written extensively for numerous medical journals, textbooks, and consumer magazines on the diagnosis, treatment, and control of hypertension, particularly in Black populations.
During 1996-1997, Dr. Saunders was on sabbatical leave from the University of Maryland, conducting research in England on dietary salt, salt sensitivity and hypertension in an African-Caribbean population. In May 1998, Dr. Saunders was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from his undergraduate alma mater, Morgan State University. In May 1999, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Fill out the application form online here*
* If you are having trouble with your submission please let us know by emailing Baltimore.heartball@heart.org
Connect With Us
American Heart Association Baltimore Page: http://www.heart.org/greaterbaltimore
American Heart Association - Baltimore on Facebook: http://facebook.com/BaltimoreAHA
Mid Atlantic American Heart Association on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MidAtlnticHeart
Power to End Stroke: http://powertoendstroke.org/
Power to End Stroke National Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Power-To-End-Stroke-You-Have-The-Power/139556840907
Go Red For Women: http://www.goredforwomen.org/
Go Red for Women National Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GoRed
Go Red Por Tu Corazon: http://www.goredcorazon.org/enes/
Alliance for a Healthier Generation: http://www.healthiergeneration.org/
University of Maryland, School of Medicine: http://medschool.umaryland.edu/
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/
