It is with the deepest humility that I accept the Abraham Jacobi Award from the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr Jacobi represented the best in pediatrics, a practitioner in New York in 1853, Professor of Diseases of Children at New York Medical College in 1859, Chairman of the AMA Section Council on Pediatrics, founder and president of the American Pediatrics Society, and president of the American Medical Association. He was perhaps best known as a child advocate. Dr Jacobi believed that physicians should take an active interest in public policy. At an early age he was, and remained throughout his life, what would now be termed a "troublemaker." He actively pursued legislation for women and children in Albany, the state capitol, and in Washington, DC. Throughout his long and productive life, he felt comfortable only when championing a good cause.1-4 It is truly an honor to receive an award bearing his name.
Before I begin my address, I would like to pay personal tribute to my dear wife Kathie, who has stood by me for 40 years throughout my shortcomings as a husband and father, as I pursued my interest in organized medicine as a child advocate. She has suffered through long waits for late dinners because of my practice or meetings, the yardwork that was never done because of office or hospital emergencies, and cared for our family alone while I attended meetings on the mainland. I would also like to honor my mentor, the late Dr Irvine McQuarrie, who "fathered" me during my first year of pediatrics residency in Hawaii.
The US Public Health Service and the American Medical Association House of Delegates: Informing Policy at the Intersection of Public Health and Medical Care
