Each year the Methodist Healthcare Foundation Living Awards are presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves by their leadership and commitment to the healing mission of Methodist Healthcare. In keeping with that mission, this year’s award criteria was broadened to include a focus on faith and healing. In addition to honoring those individuals who have made significant contributions to the Methodist Healthcare system, the 2007 Living Awards will also recognize faith-based health initiatives that have had a meaningful impact on healthcare locally, nationally and globally.

This year’s event will be held Thursday, October 25th in the Tennessee Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel at 6:00 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Methodist Healthcare Foundation and the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Center of Excellence in Faith and Health. Individual tickets are $100 and may be purchased by calling the Foundation at 516-0500. The dress for the event is business attire.

The 2007 honorees are:

Living Award - Inspiration in Faith and Health
Bishop William M. Young, Sr.
Dedicated to enhancing healing efforts across the community, Bishop William M. Young, Sr. has served over 32 years in ministry and 28 years in pastoral counseling. A recognized leader, Bishop Young was the first African-American chaplain in the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system and paved the way for integration of spiritual care services within the Mid-South healthcare community.

A graduate of LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tenn., he earned his masters of divinity in pastoral care and counseling from Memphis Theological Seminary and completed his doctorate in ministry at Carolina Theological Seminary.  A leader in his field and within the Methodist system, Bishop Young served as a chaplain at Methodist from 1981-1994. He founded and operates The Healing Center which offers pastoral care for individuals, groups and congregations and provides a wellness facility, education and preventive health services for community members. Bishop Young is a senior pastor at both The Healing Center Full Gospel Church in Memphis and Greater Fellowship Faith Tabernacle in Bolivar, Tenn.

Bishop Young has been a leader among African-American clinicians in the areas of grief, stress, and clergy health as well as marriage and family issues. In 2006, he wrote The Morning After, a book which is a guide to recovery in the area of grief and loss.

He has been a leader in Mental Health Summit work, covering the gaps in service for behavioral health in Shelby County, Tenn. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen recently appointed him to the state’s Suicide Prevention Network team where Bishop Young has collaborated with University of Memphis faculty to write the Faith Based Statistical Domestic Violence curriculum.

Described by colleagues as a “pastor’s pastor”, Bishop Young is known for both his devotion to his faith and his community. His ability as a skilled teacher and a compassionate listener has enabled him to communicate the message of grace, hope and healing to those who hurt. 

Bishop Young and his wife Diane have four children and four grandchildren.

Living Award - Physician Inspiration in Faith and Health
Frederick Frank “Fred” Barrett, M.D.
Described as passionate about improving the quality of patient care, Dr. Fred Barrett has practiced at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center for 28 years. A founder of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Le Bonheur and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, he is known as a respected physician, administrator, educator, mentor and friend and is seen by many as one of the cornerstones on which Le Bonheur was built.

A graduate of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, Dr. Barrett went on to complete his residency at Baylor. He then trained in pediatric infectious diseases at Baylor, the Thorndike Institute, Boston City Hospital and Harvard Medical School. After completing his studies, he returned to Baylor as assistant and then associate professor of Pediatrics before coming to Le Bonheur in 1978. He served as the director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases from 1978 until 1994 and chaired Le Bonheur’s Infection Control Committee from 1979 until 2000. In 1986, Dr. Barrett was recruited to serve as Le Bonheur’s Medical Director, a position he held until 2001.

Dr. Barrett played a critical role in the establishment of a fellowship training program in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, a joint program of Le Bonheur, St. Jude and UTHSC. He has supervised the training of almost 50 fellows in this program. In addition, Dr. Barrett has played a key role in the education of medical students and resident physicians at Le Bonheur.

Dr. Barrett’s integrity, honesty and caring nature have endeared him to patients, students, and colleagues and his knowledge and skill have directly contributed to the dramatic growth of Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Barrett’s commitment and dedication to bettering the lives of others is an inspiration to all those who know him.

Dr. Barrett and his wife Danny have three children and five grandchildren.

Living Award - Physician Inspiration in Faith and Health
Tulio E. Bertorini, M.D.
Dr. Tulio Bertorini is known and admired by colleagues and patients for his excellence both as a physician and a humanitarian. World renowned in the field of neuromuscular diseases, Dr. Bertorini has practiced within the Methodist system for 25 years.

Dr. Bertorini is a graduate of San Marcos University School of Medicine in Lima, Peru. He completed a residency in neurology at Georgetown University and studied electrodiagnostic procedures at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Bertorini began practicing at Methodist in 1982 and since that time has been instrumental in helping to establish leading centers in stroke, epilepsy and neuron-muscular diseases. He played a key role in maintaining the standards at the electromyography laboratory at Methodist University Hospital, providing weekly education meetings and supervision and guidance to many technicians. Dr. Bertorini operates the only neuromuscular pathology lab in Memphis and the surrounding area. His extensive work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis contributed to the MDA distinguishing the Memphis lab as the MDA/LAS Center of Memphis and the MidSouth. Dr. Bertorini has been a leading physician at Wesley Neurology Clinic since helping establish the clinic in 1992. 

Throughout his career, Dr. Bertorini has received numerous appointments, honors and awards. He received the Good Samaritan Award from the Church Health Center in 1994, and was recognized by the City of Memphis, Shelby County Medical Society for providing the Most Outstanding Indigent Service in 1994. Memphis Magazine has recognized Dr. Bertorini as “Best Doctor” in Memphis on five occasions.

Dr. Bertorini’s medical expertise has drawn patients to him locally, nationally and internationally. However, he is best known for being a loyal friend, supportive mentor and above all, a compassionate and caring physician.

Dr. Bertorini and his wife Emma have three children and one grandchild.

Living Award - Community Inspiration in Faith and Health
Christ Community Health Service – Memphis, Tennessee
Founded in the South Memphis area in 1995, Christ Community Health Service (CCHS) provides Christ-centered, community-based quality medical care to under-served neighborhoods in Memphis. It is committed to providing excellent health care and serving as a model of Christian compassion.

CCHS has five primary care facilities and one mobile clinic that bring medical care to groups like the homeless at Memphis Union Mission and international refugees at Catholic Charities. Based on a neighborhood model, its providers and other staff are encouraged to reside in and/or establish long-term relationships with the neighborhoods where they are located. CCHS provides a broad spectrum of medical care, including pre-natal and obstetrical care, pediatrics, HIV/AIDS treatment and adult primary care. Roughly 40 percent of the patients CCHS serves are children and adolescents. They also provide several vital outreach programs that include an outreach service to faith communities called Memphis Healthy Churches, SAFE against sexual assault, Families Matter, and The Journey, a youth development program.

In partnership with the department of Preventive Medicine and the College of Nursing, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, CCHS implements grants from the National Institute of Health to expand health coverage and education for the under-served. In terms of community involvement, CCHS expands health access to health services beyond primary care, thereby building strong ties to diverse community stakeholders in the areas in which they are located. The work that they do is not only innovative but inspirational and truly exemplifies the Christian mission of offering care and compassion to one another.

Living Award – National/International Inspiration in Faith and Health
Mary Johnston Hospital – Tondo, Manila, The Philippines
Founded in 1906 by Dr. Rebecca Parrish, a missionary doctor, Mary Johnston Hospital is a non-profit mission hospital located in the very heart of Tondo, the poorest section of Manila. The only Methodist hospital in The Philippines, it has a reputation as a place where all people are treated equally.

During World War II, the hospital became an emergency center for those wounded in Japanese air raids. The missionaries in the hospital were interned in concentration camps but the Filipino nurses assumed charge and kept the hospital open. In 1945, the retreating Japanese navy set fire to the hospital and it was completely destroyed. Within four years the cornerstone for a new hospital was laid and Mary Johnston Hospital was rebuilt in two years.

Since its beginnings as a small clinic, it has grown to become a 120-bed tertiary hospital and paramedical training institution with a recognized residency program in the clinical departments of Medicine, Surgery, OB-GYN and Pediatrics. Today, Mary Johnston Hospital has a staff of 34 resident physicians, 16 associate physicians, 86 graduate nurses and 234 salaried staff.

For more than 100 years, Mary Johnston Hospital has put the mission and faith of the Methodist Church at the center of all its work and has remained dedicated to accepting all who come to its doors, regardless of color, creed, religion or political persuasion. The hospital’s commitment to its healing ministry in the indigent areas of Tondo, Manila, has made it an inspiration to many in The Philippines and around the world.