The Physicians Society of Central Florida Foundation Dr. James Wood Hicks Lifetime Achievement Award.

HISTORY: Dr. James Wood Hicks

This award is named after Dr. James Wood Hicks.  Dr. Hicks served during the Civil War as a surgeon. In 1875, he moved his family to the newly incorporated town of Orlando.  Dr. Hicks became the first city health officer for Orlando and served as President of the Orange County Board of Health.  At the FMA Annual Meeting in Sanford, FL in 1885, Dr. Hicks was appointed to the FMA’s committee on ethics and became its Chair in 1886.  He also served on the FMA’s committee on Medical Education.  Dr. Hicks was elected as the 13^th President of the FMA at their Annual Meeting in St. Augustine in 1887. 

In his presidential address, Dr. Hicks cited the various fevers endemic to Florida and called on the legislature to take action.  Subsequently, a massive and deadly epidemic of yellow fever occurred in Jacksonville during the summer and fall of 1888.  In response to the FMA’s urgent pleas, Gov. Francis Fleming called the legislature into special session to establish the State Board of Health in February of 1889.  Dr. Hicks belongs to the pantheon of physician leaders in the FMA who collectively were responsible for the creation of a statewide public health department that still serves Florida’s citizens and visitors.   Read more

Recipients

2024: Dr. Sergio W. Larach, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Dr. Sergio W. Larach continues his chosen role as community servant to Orlando, a teacher of students, a valued colleague, a generous provider to those in need, and an exemplary colorectal surgeon.
Sergio’s more than 50 years of service began in June of 1973 when he arrived in Orlando after completing general surgery residency in Santiago Chile. He started his residency at Orange Memorial Hospital, known today ORHS, in general surgery and then completed his fellowship in colon and rectal surgery in Houston returning to Orlando in 1977 and joining the practice of Don C. Robertson, MD until Don’s retirement. Dr. Larach created the Colo-Rectal Clinic in 1980 and recruited partners Paul Williamson and Andrea Ferrara. Unique for its time, the concept of this clinic encompassed both seeing patients and a surgery center providing endoscopy and outpatient surgery. The first Pelvic Floor Center was also established for the treatment of patients with fecal incontinence and constipation. This was a new concept for the Orlando area.

As the practice grew, he became more involved with the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, presenting papers on clinical investigations. He established the first fellowship program in colorectal surgery sponsored by ORHS in combination with the two primary hospitals in Orlando. The fellowship became recognized as a center of excellence with residents from ORHS and University of Florida establishing rotations to benefit from the exposure to the teachings of both hospitals. After moving his practice to Advent Hospital, he created a second fellowship program with Matt Albert and Sam Atalla. Both programs still exist today with larger faculty and expanded to train many fellows each year. Several of the international fellows have gone back to their countries and become renowned leaders in colorectal care. Sergio’s academic involvement has also included publishing over 150 papers in peer reviewed publications and given him the opportunity to teach multiple courses throughout the country and internationally.

Clearly exhibiting his penchant and passion for teaching students of medicine, today he serves as assistant clinical professor at the University of Central Florida and at Florida State University (Orlando). Prior to these Orlando positions he was associate professor of surgery at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Demonstrating his desire to participate with other physicians in expanding medical advancement, he became a member of the Orange County Medical Society in 1978 – the predecessor of the Physicians Society of Central Florida – where he worked in the membership and editorial committees. And in 1987, as president of the American Cancer Society of Orlando, Sergio stated his goal was to bring access to the underprivileged population of Orlando. In 2002, he became vice president of the American Society of colon and rectal surgeons.

As an innovator in his field, Dr. Larach, recognizing the rapid change in technology and techniques, became a pioneer in the introduction of laparoscopy of colon resection and later robotic surgery that has now become the norm for treatment. With the cooperation of Drs. Atalla and Albert, he created a new surgical procedure, TAMIS (Trans Anal Minimally Invasive Surgery). Throughout the years Sergio has been recognized by many international medical societies as Honorary Member, for example in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela. And, notably, Dr. Larach’s contributions reach outside the Orlando area. Annually, the Colon and Rectal Society of Fort Lauderdale presents the “Sergio W. Larach Award” to a top colorectal surgeon. Today with a decade of service at Digestive and Liver Center of Florida as the senior colorectal surgeon, he continues his surgical privileges at ORHS, Advent, and Oviedo Medical Center where he serves as Chairman of Surgery.

2023: Samuel Martin, MD

Samuel P. Martin, was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1946 to parents who were involved in the medical field at Duke Medical School. They later moved to Gainesville, Florida, where his father played a significant role in establishing and heading the Department of Medicine at the University of Florida medical school. Martin's mother pursued a career in anesthesiology.

In his high school years, he engaged in medical research during summer breaks at the medical school, sparking his interest in science and medicine. Although his parents were a source of inspiration, they never pushed him into medicine.  He attended Yale for his undergraduate education, obtaining a B.A., and then continued on to Duke Medical School, earning his M.D. Afterward, he completed a general surgery residency at the New York Hospital - Cornell from 1972 to 1977.   Following his general surgery training, Martin pursued a vascular fellowship at the Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans. In 1978, he embarked on a career in Vascular and General Surgery in Orlando, becoming the first vascular fellowship-trained surgeon in Central Florida. He held privileges for vascular surgery at Orlando Health and Florida Hospital and performed innovative procedures for limb salvage. Martin set up the first Vascular Noninvasive Lab in Orlando, primarily utilizing plethysmography for diagnosing arterial, venous, and carotid diseases. He played a pivotal role in introducing duplex scanning as a more accurate diagnostic modality.  Furthermore, Martin was involved in dialysis access and, along with ultrasonographers, developed the duplex imaging examination with volume flow to prevent thrombosis in access grafts and fistulas.

Dr. Martin founded the first Vascular Surgery Group in Central Florida, which included the first IAC Accredited Vascular Lab, and later worked on accrediting the Orlando Health Vascular Lab. Martin co-founded the Florida Vascular Society to facilitate communication among vascular surgeons, establish standards of care, and influence insurance and Medicare standards and reimbursement for vascular procedures. Recognizing the importance of wound care, he helped establish the first Wound Care Center in Central Florida, emphasizing the significance of veins in causing wounds and promoting the treatment of venous ulcers. Martin initiated the first vein practice in Central Florida, focusing on venous, lymphatic, and arterial diseases, and received certification as a Vein Center by the IAC. He has given numerous lectures, mentored young medical assistants (MAs), and is working on establishing a charitable trust to assist individuals pursuing a nursing career in memory of his late wife, Michele, a nurse.

Throughout his career, Samuel P. Martin has received several recognitions and awards, including Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Lucerne Hospital, the Surgical Teaching Award, and the title of TOP DOCTOR by Orlando Magazine since 2000. He has also contributed to surgical education and trauma care in Central Florida.  Samuel P. Martin, M.D., is known for his significant contributions to vascular surgery, non-invasive vascular diagnostics, wound care, and medical education.

2022: Clarence Brown, MD

Clarence (Buck) Brown is President and Chief Executive Officer of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando. He was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and grew up in Orlando, then attended Emory University in Atlanta where he graduated with a B.A. degree in 1962 and an M.D., summa cum laude, in 1966. During his undergraduate years as a member of the Beta Chi Chapter of Sigma Chi, he served as Quaestor, Pro Consul and Consul. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. Dr. Brown trained in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, completed a fellowship in hematology at Johns Hopkins and served as a clinical associate in medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Hematology.

Following the completion of his training, he became a member of the faculty of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he was a Howard Hughes Research Fellow.In 1975, Dr. Brown returned to Central Florida to practice hematology and medical oncology. He has served as medical director of the Hemophilia Association of Orlando and the Hospice of Central Florida. In 1988, Dr. Brown served as President of the Orange County Medical Society. He has served on numerous boards in Orlando and is past-Chairman of theBoard of Directors of the Orlando Health Foundation. He has served on the Florida Division Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society and as a delegate to the National Assembly of the ACS.

From 20001 through 2003, Dr. Brown was chairman of the Cancer Research and Advisory Council for the state of Florida, appointed by then-governor Jeb Bush. He was named one of the “Best Doctors in America” from 1996 to 2010 and in 1998 was named one of the 25 most influential leaders in health care in Central Florida. He has been identified by Orlando Magazine as one of the “Best Doctors in Orlando” and by Orlando Business Journal as a “Who’s Who in Health Care”. In 2002, he was inducted into the William R. Boone High School (Orlando) Athletic Hall of Fame.

Dr. Brown was the founding medical director of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, the first outreach affiliate of the renowned M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston that started in 1991 and in 1997 he became the cancer center’s president and chief executive officer. Dr. Brown is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine.

2021: RICHARD J. BAGBY, MD, FACR

Richard J. Bagby, MD, FACR, exemplifies those characteristics that Dr. Hicks displayed many years ago; of knowledge, integrity, honesty, understanding of how to treat others, compassion for patients and recognition of the importance of working within the community.

Richard graduated from Emory University college and medical school as well as an Emory fellowship in radiology. He was also a Captain in the United States Air Force, a flight surgeon and Chief of the Aerospace Medicine, Whiteman AFB, Missouri. On moving to Winter Park in 1972, he was a partner and subsequently president of the Winter Park Hospital radiology group, president of the Medical Staff at Winter Park Hospital and member of the Board of Trustees.

Recognizing the importance of organized medicine he is a member of the Orange County Medical Society (OCMS) where he served as president and led in construction of a building for the OCMS on West Colonial Drive. At the state level he rose to become the president of the Florida Medical Association. And with the American Medical Association he was a delegate to its House of Delegates, member of the Council on Medical Service and the Task Force on Tort Reform. He has been president of the Central Florida Radiological Society, and of the Florida Radiological Society.

Richard found time to be a member of the United Fund of Winter Park, Northeast Orange County Mental Health Organization, Health Systems Agency of Orange County, Local Health Council of East Central Florida, Inc., Human Crisis Council, Inc. (president), Central Florida YMCA Capital Improvement Fund Drive, The Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce (board of directors). He was on the Board of Directors of the First National Bank of Central Florida, the Rollins College Hamilton Hope School and the Florida Hospital Association Board.

Dr. Bagby found it his opportunity to give back to Emory University where he was a member of its Board of Trustees for six years and locally president of the Central Florida Emory Club. He also was honored with the Emory Medical School Award of Honor, and the Jake’s Golden Heart Award. Both are outstanding Emory University awards

2020: DR. CECIL WILSON

Video from 2020 Annual Meeting

The PSCF Foundation board of directors has selected Dr. Cecil Wilson as the first recipient of this prestigious award.  Dr. Wilson was born in Columbus, GA and is a graduate from Emory University with a BA in history, and an MD, followed by ten years in the US Navy that included service as a flight surgeon and a specialty in internal medicine. Dr. Wilson came to Central Florida in the US Naval Hospital Orlando as a Commander, and subsequently started a solo practice of internal medicine Winter Park for approximately 40 years. Dr. Wilson was President of the Orange County Medical Society, President of the medical staffs of Florida Hospital and Winter Park Memorial Hospital, Chair of the Local Health Council of East Central Florida, and President of the Statewide Health Council.  He was the Speaker and President of the Florida Medical Association, Chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association, President of the American Medical Association, and President of the World Medical Association.  Dr. Wilson was a Member US delegation to the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland for five years.  Dr. Wilson has accomplished a lot throughout his career, and there is no doubt he has worked diligently and tirelessly for our medical profession his entire career.