Abraham Verghese wins the Heinz Award

February 27, 2014

Congratulations to our own Dr. Abraham Verghese for receiving the 2013 Heinz Award for the Category of Arts and Humanities. The Heinz Award is widely considered to be one of the largest individual achievements in the world and includes an prize of $250,000.

The Heinz Award was established in 1993 by Teresa Heinz in honor of her late husband, H. John Heinz III, a former Senator and heir of the iconic Heinz family. An extensive nomination and selection process is conducted annually to find the 5 recipients for each of the following categories: Arts and Humanities, Environment, Human Condition, Public Policy, and Technology, the Economy and Employment.

Dr. Verghese’s accomplishments in the realm of arts and humanities are vast and include memoirs such as “My Own Country”, describing his earlier days caring for many of the first AID’s patients. Additional works include his second memoir “The Tennis Partner” and his widely acclaimed novel “Cutting for Stone.” As noted in a recent Stanford Scope Article, Dr. Verghese’s “Cutting for Stone was listed in Amazon.com’s “100 Books to Read in a Lifetime.”

An excerpt from the Heinz Award Announcement said this of Dr. Verghese:
“He is considered by many to be the nation’s premier instructor of bedside treatment and is frequently invited to speak with medical students across the country to share his techniques. He is also an influential advocate for the role of physician and healer and under his direction, Stanford University’s School of Medicine has developed the Stanford 25, a comprehensive list of physical examinations that Stanford medical students are required to perform on all of their patients.”

We are honored to have Dr. Verghese as a member of our community and leading the education of our future doctors and leaders.

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