| SPRINGFIELD — Dr. Francis Podbielski, medical director of the Lung Cancer Program at Mercy Medical Center, received the Felix G. Cataldo, MD Humanism in Medicine Award on Sept. 17. The award, presented by UMass Medical School, recognizes Podbielski for his volunteer activities, including work with the Boy Scouts and the Knights of Columbus, dedication to mentoring surgical residents, and longstanding efforts to provide and expand surgical services to the less fortunate.
Podbielski is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. In addition to his responsibilities at Mercy, he serves as the Massachusetts governor for the American College of Chest Physicians and the research director for the General Surgery Training Program from which he is a graduate.
Additionally, Podbielski serves as vice president of the Medical International Missionary Aid Foundation, a nonprofit group of health care professionals who provide surgical care at no cost to the indigent people of central Bolivia. During his eleven years with the group, he has performed more than 150 surgical procedures and is often accompanied by surgical residents who have benefited by his surgical expertise and global perspective on health care.
Cataldo, for whom the award is named, practiced surgery at the Worcester City Hospital for more than 30 years. In addition to his skills in the operating room and his commitment to resident education, he is best remembered by his colleagues, friends, and patients for his compassionate approach to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. After his death in 2005, Cataldo’s family established the award in his honor as part of an endowment to promote humanism in medicine and surgery. |
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