UCI
Medical Center Doctor
Named
Family Physician of the Year
Orange,
Calif., Feb. 21, 2001 — Dr.
Elizabeth H. Morrison, a physician and assistant clinical professor at
UCI Medical Center, has been named Family Physician of the Year by the
California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP). She is scheduled to
receive her award tomorrow evening at the organization’s annual meeting
in San Francisco. The CAFP award recognizes a California family physician
who goes above and beyond in service to patients, colleagues and the
community.
Specializing in family medicine and women’s health, Morrison’s
areas of expertise include service to medically underserved communities
and family-centered maternity care. She is bilingual and has an active
clinical practice at the UCI Family Health Center, Santa Ana.
Morrison believes her passion for patient care and dedication to the
medically underserved stems from her childhood. "As a teenager, I
lived in a low-income community in upstate New York. This experience
influenced my own special mission to give back to communities like the one
I came from," said Morrison. "People think of Orange County as
prosperous, but we have many impoverished families, especially near the
family health center. It's exciting for me to see medical students and
family medicine residents learning firsthand about the challenges of
providing good care for our community."
"We are extremely proud of Dr. Morrison and
congratulate her on receiving this prestigious award," said Dr.
Joseph Scherger, chair of the UCI Department of Family Medicine and 1989
California and national Family Physician of the Year. "She is
well-respected by the medical community and well-loved by her patients.
Elizabeth is the epitome of a trusted family doctor--a caring,
knowledgeable professional who respects every patient and their individual
needs."
Morrison earned her medical degree from Brown
University in Providence, R.I., and interned at Harbor UCLA Medical Center
in Torrance, Calif. She then went on to complete residency at Ventura
County Medical Center. In addition to her practice at the UCI Family
Health Center, Morrison serves as director of student activities for the
UCI Department of Family Medicine.
She acts as a role model for medical students interested in pursuing
family medicine. Her goal is to help them maintain a natural enthusiasm
and interest in this specialty. "I try to help them understand that
family medicine is a wonderful--and
challenging--field that requires a lot of hard work, perhaps more than
many other specialty. Family medicine is a multi-faceted specialty, and we
must constantly refine our knowledge base," said Morrison.
The CAFP, with 7,000 members, is the largest primary care medical
society in California, and the largest chapter of the American Academy of
Family Physicians (AAMC). Family physicians care for men, women, children
and the elderly and are trained and qualified to work in all major medical
areas.
Her recognition by the state chapter automatically makes Morrison a
candidate for the AAMC Family Physician of the Year award.
Media Contact: Kim Pine
(714) 456-7759
kpine@uci.edu
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