During this year’s Thank a Donor Day, CCHS recognized and honored Dr. and Mrs. Robert Pieroni for their generous support of the College and their continued commitment to the educational development of CCHS medical students and resident physicians.
Robert Pieroni, MD, began a long and dedicated career as a faculty member at CCHS in 1974. He retired in 2005 but has remained strongly committed to the College and its work.
Together with his family, he created the Robert E. Pieroni, MD, and Family Endowed Scholarship to help meritorious CCHS medical students interested in primary care practice with their medical school debt. The scholarship is presented annually at the College’s Senior Banquet, an event that recognizes medical students who complete their third and fourth years of medical school at CCHS, which also functions as a regional campus of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
“Medical students and residents are routinely evaluated on their medical knowledge and skills as applied to patient care,” Pieroni said. “As famed physician Dr. William Osler stated, ‘The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.’ This holistic approach entails the compassionate care of all patients regardless of their circumstances.”
This year, Pieroni and his family established the Robert E. Pieroni, MD, and Family Endowed Compassionate Care Award to recognize a third-year resident who provides compassionate care and advocates for their patients. Dr. Elizabeth Scott received the award in June during graduation ceremonies for the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which CCHS operates.
“This year, the faculty and staff of CCHS made an excellent choice in selecting the first family practice resident to receive the award – Dr. Elizabeth Scott,” Pieroni said. “Dr. Scott’s patients, colleagues and faculty have recognized her not only for her medical acumen but also for the laudable care and compassion she extends to all of her patients.”
In addition to their generous support of CCHS medical students and resident physicians, Pieroni and his wife, Dorothy, also give their time to the College. Both serve on the CCHS Board of Visitors, an advisory board that assists the College with long-term planning and securing financial resources to help develop opportunities for medical students and resident physicians.