Lancaster County Physician Wins Pennsylvania Medical Society's Highest Honor
| Date: June 2, 2009 |
Media Contact:
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Chuck Moran |
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Pennsylvania Medical Society |
| For Immediate Release |
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(717) 558-7820 |
Dr. Nikitas J. Zervanos receives top honor for lifetime of achievements
(Harrisburg, PA) A semi-retired Lancaster doctor, who is hailed as a medical leader and educator, has been named the 2009 recipient of the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Distinguished Service Award.
Nikitas J. Zervanos, MD, who first joined the Pennsylvania Medical Society in 1969, received a unanimous vote of the Medical Society’s Board of Trustees in winning the award. To qualify for the award, a physician must demonstrate a lifetime of significant achievement, as judged by peers.
Dr. Zervanos becomes only the 24th Pennsylvania physician to win this highly prestigious award since it was first introduced in 1956. He joins a distinguished list of past recipients, including Jonas E. Salk, MD, and C. Everett Koop, MD.
Nominated for the award by the Lancaster County Medical Society, Dr. Zervanos was described as the son of Greek immigrants, who through hard work and dedication became a successful physician upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1962.
Shortly after graduating medical school, he served with the US Medical Corps’ 558th Artillery Group as a surgeon until 1966 at which point he fulfilled residency programs in Philadelphia as well as a fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Not long after that, he took a position with Lancaster General Hospital in 1969, and has remained in Central Pennsylvania since that time.
Dr. Zervanos, a family medicine physician, has held faculty positions at Temple University School of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
In the past, he has won numerous awards from various professional associations, honor societies, hospitals, and colleges. To his credit, he has written nearly 50 publications or scientific book reviews.
Dr. Zervanos has a love of history and speaks at the Lancaster County Historical Society on the role of Greek immigrants in the United States as well as their contributions to medicine. He has also given presentations about drug and alcohol abuse prevention, and served as chairman of the Commission on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse for the Lancaster City and County Medical Society. He has also served on the Governor’s Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse as well as other community organizations.
In addition to being a member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, Dr. Zervanos is also a member of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians, Lancaster City and County Medical Society, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association.
He and his wife of 51 years, Diana, currently reside in Lancaster.
The patient-doctor relationship has been the priority of the Pennsylvania Medical Society since its founding in 1848. The Medical Society listens to concerns of both patients and doctors to improve the delivery of health care services. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit the web site at www.pamedsoc.org.
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Last Updated: 6/10/2009