A University of Iowa pediatrics professor has won one of the top prizes in his profession. Neonatologist Dr. Edward Bell was presented the “Humanism In Medicine” Award by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The award honors a medical school faculty physician who is a mentor for medical students and a practitioner of patient-centered care. There’s one award-winner in the U-S every year. Every medical school in the nation, about 130 or 140 medical schools, nominates one person and “I was lucky enough to be the one chosen from among those nominees. It is a great feeling. It’s very humbling and it’s a great honor.” Dr. Bell says he considers the award as recognition for the entire neonatal team and for the Childrens Hospital of Iowa in Iowa City. Bell is a proponent of one-on-one student-teacher relationships, a technique described by a fellow professor as “the most effective way for him to help students develop their own approaches, their own thought processes, and eventually their independence…coming across as a peer, rather than the all-knowing professor.” Bell says his creedo for success as a physician is simple: treat patients like you’d like to be treated.Bell accepted the award Saturday night in San Francisco. He’s been on the U-of-I faculty since 1979.
