Walter F. Patenge Medal of Public Service Dinner and Awards Ceremony

April 25, 2007

Four individuals were recognized with MSUCOM's most prestigious award at this year's Walter F. Patenge Medal of Public Service Dinner and Awards Ceremony which was held at the University Club Ballroom. William C. Cunningham, D.O., M.H.A., John K. Everett, D.O., David L. Porteous, J.D., and Earl J. Reisdorff, M.D. were presented the awards in the presence of past Patenge award recipients, MSUCOM faculty and staff, and their family and friends.

The Walter F. Patenge Medal is awarded to individuals for osteopathic medical practice exemplifying the best tradition of family medicine, osteopathic hospital administration exemplifying the best tradition of humane, concerned administration and public involvement, and for public policy leadership exemplifying the best tradition of democratic concern for the public good and public welfare.

William Cunningham, John Everett, David Porteous, and Earl Reisdorff

William C. Cunningham, D.O., M.H.A.

A driving force for quality health care in West Michigan, Cunningham has demonstrated his strong commitment to the osteopathic profession, osteopathic education, and public health. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Metro Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, he has given generously of his time and talent. Not only is he responsible for oversight of the quality, utilization and risk management of all physician activities, but also for 108 trainees in the medical education programs- including osteopathic students, intern, residents and fellows - affiliated with the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. A member of the Statewide Campus System Governing Board, he is a Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine at MSUCOM. He also serves as a founding board member of Kent Health Care PHO, a board member of Metro Health Foundation, the founding board chairperson of Kent Health Plan Corporation, and a board member of the Catholic Human Development Organization.

His record of service includes numerous appointments for clinical service, medical education quality review, and practice development. He hold the "Spirit of Humanity" award from the American Osteopathic Foundation, and has received numerous grants.

John K. Everett, D.O.

Names National Rural Health Physician of the Year in 2004, Everett has an outstanding record of service at the local, state and national level, including a term as president of the Michigan Osteopathic Association. A beloved family practitioner in Indian River, Michigan, he has given generously of his time and talent to family, church, community, profession, state, and missions at home and abroad. A 1987 graduate of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Everett also serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine and holds the Dean's Meritorious Award for Alumni.

A president of the Northeastern Michigan Osteopathic Association, he served on the board of the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Family Physicians. His service to the Michigan Osteopathic Association is significant, including as a member of the board, an editor of Triad,and chairperson of six working groups. An advisor to the governor regarding Medicaid restructuring, Everett is presently working, publishing and speaking (including legislative testimony) on equitable health care for the uninsured, Medicaid, and malpractice issues. His research projects include serving as the primary investigator of the Michigan Electronic Rural Health Information Trial and a grant reviewer.

David L. Porteous, J.D.

With a notable record of community and public service, David L. Porteous has served as an elected member and chairman emeritus of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. He is a member of numerous boards, including those of the Michigan State University College of Law, Huntington Bancshares, Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York, and the 4-H Foundation. A past chairman of the Michigan Strategic Fund, he also served on the boards of the federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and the Michigan Economic Growth Authority.

A former member of the board of directors of the Supreme Court Historical Society, Mr. Porteous is a fellow of the State Bar of Michigan, an honor limited to five percent of Michigan attorneys. Active in the expansion and relocation of Metro Health Hospital to the Grand Rapids suburbs, Mr. Porteous has been supportive both of the osteopathic profession and the need for primary care. An advocate for care providers and health systems, he was pivotal in assisting communities in rural West Michigan in securing the Crossroads Radiation Therapy Center in Reed City.

Earl J. Reisdorff, M.D.

Director of the Medical Education and an emergency medicine physician at Ingham Regional Medical Center, Reisdorff is an exemplary practitioner, teacher, scholar and administrator.

The editor of two reference textbooks - Emergency Radiology and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, he has served also as the editor of Emergency Medical Clinics of North America and as a reviewer of Academic Emergency Medicine. He has published numerous articles in professional journals and has been a contributing author to eight different medical texts. He is in high demand as a lecturer, and has made presentations through the United States and the People's Republic of China. A member of the Council of Graduate Medical Education, a body which serves both Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services, Reisdorff has been the national education representative for the American College of Emergency Physicians and is past-president of the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians. He is known for his strong advocacy of both osteopathic medicine and osteopathic education.