Dr. Juri McDowell is the winner of the 2018 Alton Memorial Hospital Chairman’s Award.

Dr. McDowell, chief of Anesthesiology at AMH, was honored at the annual Physician’s Appreciation Dinner, held recently at the Post Commons in Alton. Steve Thompson, chairman of the hospital’s board of directors, made the presentation to Dr. McDowell to the applause of his colleagues.

“To receive this type of professional acknowledgment by my peers is extremely humbling,” Dr. McDowell said. “Past Chairman's Award winners comprise a group of physicians that I hold in the highest regard.  This year's nominees were all excellent and deserving.  It is a great honor and a privilege to serve our patient population with a phenomenal team of nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist colleagues.

“Our team of nurse anesthetists at Alton Memorial Hospital is a truly amazing group that I have the honor and privilege with whom to work.  We laugh together, cry together, and share in each other’s victories and setbacks like a family.  This award is a great recognition of our department and I want to thank them for the dedication and hard work they contribute in executing the mission of Alton Memorial Hospital. And I would be remiss not to mention my mentors and colleagues, Dr. Hany Tadros and Dr. Calvin Williams.  Over the 13 years I have come to know them, they have remained the standard bearers for fairness, honesty, and integrity.  I continue to learn a great deal from them professionally and personally.”

Dr. McDowell began at AMH in 2007 and has been chief of Anesthesiology at AMH since 2016 He has also been a member of the Medical Executive Committee since 2016.

“Dr. McDowell is very deserving of this honor,” Thompson said. “This is always a great honor for a doctor since nominations come from their peers along with hospital employees who work together every day to improve the health of the communities we serve. Each of the nominated physicians is a well-respected member of the AMH team. On behalf of the board of directors and staff, I thank each of them for their commitment.”

Some of the comments about Dr. McDowell in the nominations for him received from AMH staff and physicians included:

“Always a pleasure to work with.”

“Strives to put patient safety first.”

“Compassionate, caring and talented physician.”

“Collaborates with physicians, nurses, and other team members to seek the best care for our patients.”

“Works positively towards the vision and the excellence of all the departments within the hospital.”

“Addresses clinical and personal issues with integrity, fairness and selflessness.”

“Focused on developing best practices to manage daily workflows.”

“Competence has little meaning without compassion,” Dr. McDowell said. “I continually strive to embody both. Humility and dignity are another pair of traits that I feel have been essential to my professional and personal successes. And lastly, honesty is a moral imperative.”

Dr. McDowell earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri in 2001. He completed an Anesthesiology residency in 2005 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, where he was named Anesthesiology Resident of the Year.

The Chairman’s Award publicly acknowledges a member of the AMH medical staff for the contributions the physician makes to the hospital and community, active participation in hospital and medical staff departmental affairs, and the promotion and practice of outstanding customer service with hospital patients and staff.

Previous recipients of the Chairman’s Award are Dr. Leo Green; Dr. Daniel Platt; Dr. David Riedel; Dr. Kathie Wuellner; Dr. Edward Cornell; Dr. Edward Harrow; Dr. Maudie Miller; Dr. Robert Hamilton; Dr. Edward Ragsdale; Dr. Laurance Monckton; Dr. Thomas Ryan; Dr. Mark Allendorph; Dr. John Hoelscher; Dr. David Burnside; Dr. Charles Schranck; Dr. Randall Rogalsky; Dr. Salvador Lo Bianco, MD; Dr. Erik Stabell; Dr. James Hudson; Dr. Stanley Sidwell; Dr. John Wuellner; Dr. Geoffrey Turner; and Dr. Angela Holbrook.

Pictured above: Dr. Juri McDowell, right, accepts Alton Memorial Hospital’s 2018 Chairman’s Award from Steve Thompson, chairman of the AMH board of directors.