FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 18, 2016
MAG HONORS WAYCROSS M.D. WITH DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
ATLANTA – S. William Clark III, M.D., received the Joseph P. Bailey Jr., M.D., Physician Distinguished Service Award during a ceremony that took place in conjunction with the Medical Association of Georgia’s (MAG) 162nd House of Delegates meeting in Savannah on October 15. The MAG award is given to a physician for distinguished and meritorious service that reflects credit and honor on MAG.
In nominating the Waycross ophthalmologist for the award, Charles Miller, M.D., and McGregor Lott, M.D., said that, “In addition to his high intellect and unparalleled passion for promoting the medical profession, perhaps Dr. Clark’s greatest legacy is the Georgia Physicians Leadership Academy (GPLA), which was his brainchild and which he has nurtured for a number of years – from the development of the program to recruiting its participants.”
The GPLA is a year-long program that was “established to develop physician leaders who will “enhance the medical profession and the health care system and the quality of life in the state.” It celebrated its 100th graduate in 2016. GPLA alumni include former MAG presidents W. Scott Bohlke, M.D., and Manoj H. Shah, M.D. – as well as MAG's newly-installed president, Steven M. Walsh, M.D.
The GPLA curriculum includes interactive classes that address leadership, conflict resolution, media relations, and advocacy – and each participant must design and complete an individual leadership project. It is also designed to foster relationships and networks within the medical profession in Georgia.
Dr. Clark was MAG’s president in 2006-2007. In addition to a number of committee and other leadership roles at MAG, he has been a member of MAG’s Board of Directors since the late 1980s. Dr. Clark has been a member of Georgia’s American Medical Association delegation for nearly 20 years – serving as its chair since 2015. And it is worth noting that Dr. Clark was the president of the Okefenokee Medical Society from 1992 to 1994.
Dr. Clark received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. He cares for his patients at his Clark Eye Clinic in Waycross.
With more than 7,800 members, MAG is the leading voice for physicians in Georgia. MAG is an advocate for physicians in every practice setting and specialty. MAG’s membership has increased for six years in a row. Go to www.mag.org for additional information.
