FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information:
Barbara Mackovic, Senior Manager
502.587.4230 or 502.641.5461
[email protected]

22nd Annual Doctors’ Ball Honors Local Physicians and Community Leaders

Louisville, Ky. (October 12, 2017) —For 22 years, the annual Doctors’ Ball, hosted by the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation, part of KentuckyOne Health, has honored the service of local physicians and community leaders. This year’s event is planned for October 21, 2017 at the Marriott Louisville Downtown, located at 280 West Jefferson Street in Louisville.

Proceeds from this year’s Doctors’ Ball will benefit the Jewish Hospital Trager Transplant Center patient assistance fund. The Trager Transplant Center is nationally recognized for performing Kentucky’s first adult heart, pancreas, heart-lung and liver transplants, as well as the first minimally invasive kidney donation in Kentucky. More than 5,000 organs have been transplanted at Jewish Hospital since 1964 including 500 hearts, 900 livers and 3,000 kidneys.

The black-tie event will include cocktails and silent auction beginning at 6:30 p.m., then dinner and an awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy a Casino Royale experience during cocktail hour and after the program concludes. Live entertainment will be provided by Stretta. Tickets are $300 each. To purchase tickets to the Doctors’ Ball, visit kentuckyonehealth.org/DoctorsBall. For sponsorship opportunities, email Carol Wade at [email protected], or call 502.587.4543.

The 2017 Doctors’ Ball will recognize some of the area’s most innovative and caring doctors and community leaders including:

Dr. Gordon Tobin – Ephraim McDowell Physician of the Year

Dr. Gordon Tobin became a surgeon because he was attracted to the challenges of intervening in major illnesses and injuries – addressing acute needs to alleviate pain and suffering. In 1978, Tobin came to the University of Louisville where he established himself as a triple threat: skilled clinician, teacher and researcher developing innovative approaches to problems arising from surgeries to treat cancer and heart disease, and from critical injuries like burns.

Dawne Gee, WAVE 3 News – Community Leader of the Year

Dawne Gee gives time to many causes, hosting as many as 200 charity events in a year. The Louisville native got into TV news more than two decades ago, while also enjoying 17 years in radio, including at WLOU, Kentucky’s first African American station. She currently anchors newscasts Monday through Friday at 5:30, 7:00 and 7:30 p.m., along with WAVE Country with Dawne Gee weekdays at Noon, profiling people working on behalf of the community. Dawne has previously suffered from health issues including cancer and stroke, and has used her platform to help educate community members, also connecting them to the proper resources for help.

Dr. Valerie Briones-Pryor – Compassionate Physician Award

Dr. Valerie Briones-Pryor is described by coworkers as a “team player who advocates for patients, treating them like a member of her own family.” She is not only directing care during a patient’s hospital stay, but also looking after details like transportation, follow-up appointments and funds to cover medications over the long haul. Briones-Pryor continues to see patients in the hospital about one day a week, but her main focus is on the role of hospitalists like herself – physicians who work exclusively in the hospital, quarterbacking in-patient care and serving as liaisons with patients’ private doctors.

Dr. David Casey and Valerie Casey – Excellence in Mental Health

Dr. David Casey, chair of the University of Louisville Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Valerie Casey, director of the University of Louisville Women’s Center, work both separately and together to empower individuals and improve lives, one person at a time. Dr. Casey introduced the field of geriatric psychiatry to Kentucky. Under Valerie Casey’s leadership, the U of L Women’s Center likewise promotes advocacy and empowerment by mentoring and educating women to successfully transition into the workforce. The Caseys have extended their focus on empowerment to victims of human trafficking.

Dr. Norton Waterman – Excellence in International Humanitarian Service

Retired surgeon Dr. Norton Waterman recently passed away on October 6, 2017, but his legacy in the community lives on. Dr. Waterman noticed years ago that significant quantities of unused hospital supplies – from scrubs and bandages to wheelchairs and incubators – were getting tossed into landfills or left to gather dust in storerooms. Waterman enlisted the participation of Louisville area hospitals and private doctors’ offices, collecting unused supplies, old model beds and medical equipment, to send to impoverished countries and overseas doctors. The collection project was later dubbed Supplies Over Seas, which is now one of only 15 medical surplus recovery organizations nationwide. The organization has collected and distributed nearly 1.5 million pounds of medical equipment and supplies since Waterman founded it. At the upcoming Doctors' Ball, we will give Dr. Waterman's family a posthumous award in his honor - the Excellence in International Humanitarian Service Award. We are thankful for the impact Dr. Waterman had on our community.

Dr. Gerald Temes – KentuckyOne Health Excellence in Leadership Award

Former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson describes Dr. Temes as “a listener who seeks facts” whose “confidence and compassion enable him to lead organizations to the next level.” Temes’ portfolio of community leadership is extensive, including spearheading development and then serving as founding chair of the Jewish Hospital Rudd Heart and Lung Center, two terms on the Louisville Metro Board of Health, and decades of service to the Jewish Community of Louisville. Temes himself is most proud of the creation of the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence (JHFE) in 2012, as board chair of what was then Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services.

Dr. Sarah Moyer – Humana Physician Excellence in Community Health Award

Dr. Sarah Moyer loves solving complex problems. Named director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness this past July – just seven years after graduating from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia – Moyer draws a parallel between treating individual patients, which she continues to do one day a week, and looking out for the health of the 750,000 residents of Metro Louisville. Dr. Moyer says she went into medicine because she wanted to help people stay healthy, and then became increasingly aware of the impact of social and environmental factors on every individual’s well-being. She went into public health, she says, “because I wanted to go upstream to help make a bigger difference in people’s quality of life.”

About Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation

Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation supports KentuckyOne Health’s drive for excellence by inspiring donors to make a tangible difference through their philanthropic investment in outstanding patient care facilities and services, the education of caregivers, advanced clinical research and improved access to quality medical care.

About KentuckyOne Health

KentuckyOne Health, one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth, includes hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies in Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved.

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