Detroit Physician Receives National Honor for Teaching Excellence from the American Academy of Family Physicians

WASHINGTON – George Mogill, M.D., a family physician in Detroit, Mich., received the Exemplary Teaching Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) at its annual meeting this week in Washington, D.C. The award was one of 10 presented for exceptional achievement in the field of family medicine. The AAFP’s Scientific Assembly, one of the largest gatherings of primary care providers in the country, was held September 27 – October 1.

Mogill was one of four family physicians who received Exemplary Teaching Awards, which recognize AAFP members who have excellent teaching skills and who have implemented outstanding programs or developed innovative teaching models. The awards are given in three categories: full-time, part-time and volunteer. Mogill received the Exemplary Teaching Award in the category of volunteer faculty member.

Currently clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., Mogill has devoted more than five decades of his life to training future family physicians. For his dedication, he has earned the distinction of Most Outstanding Clinical Faculty presented by the graduating class at Wayne State University on five separate occasions, most recently in 2001.

Mogill’s dedication extends far beyond his work with students and residents. In the early 1970s, he was an instrumental member of the team of local physicians who worked to establish the Department of Family Medicine at Wayne State. At several junctures when the future of the department seemed in jeopardy, he served as an articulate spokesperson, working to assure its continued success. Notably, in 1990, when the future of the residency program was threatened by sagging patient census at the new family medicine center, Mogill brought his robust practice into the center, boosting the numbers and filling a vital faculty role in the program. His willingness to do so literally saved the accreditation of the program and led to the emergence of a revitalized and vibrant residency at Wayne State.

In addition to his dedicated work preparing future family physicians for practice, Mogill has maintained an active medical practice, serving patients in the Detroit area for six decades. Currently he practices part time at Sheikh Medical Center in Farmington, Mich. He also served his country for three years during World War II as a member of the United States Army Medical Corps, retiring with the rank of Major.

Mogill’s contribution to the family medicine community has been recognized by his peers and his patients through the establishment of the endowed George Mogill Family Medicine Award, given each year to a graduating senior who best exemplifies the professionalism and humanitarianism Dr. Mogill embodies, and who has chosen family medicine as his or her vocation.

“George imbued the highest standards of clinical practice, medical ethics and professionalism, while demonstrating directly the humanistic values of a kind counselor and concerned mentor. There is no question that, in the Detroit metro area, George Mogill is known as the best representative family medicine has to offer,” commented, Paul T. Werner, M.D., a colleague and friend who worked with Mogill since 1988.

Mogill earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit. He is a fellow of the AAFP, an earned degree awarded to family physicians for distinguished service and continuing medical education.