The Farley-Frey awards dinner on September 16 highlighted the enduring importance of humanity in an increasingly technological world. The annual event celebrates the creative writing of colleagues through the Frey Writing Awards and stimulates ideas and discussion with an address from a nationally known family medicine physician through the Eugene and Linda Farley Visiting Professorship.
Sheray Wallce, center, accepts the first Paster Family Foundation Salutogenic Science Award on behalf of the Meadowood Health Partnership. From left: DFMCH Chair David Rakel, Wallace, and Farley Visiting Professor Dr. Zorba Paster.
This year’s speaker, Dr. Zorba Paster, has deep roots in Wisconsin and added a significant highlight to the evening’s events with the introduction of the Paster Family Foundation Salutogenic Science Award. This new award recognizes individuals, companies, or organizations that have significantly impacted wellness and health through education, community service, research, or clinical care.
Introducing Paster, DFMCH Chair Dr. David Rakel praised him as “compassionate, kind, and full of wisdom based on his 40-plus years of practicing the art of medicine with the people he cares about.”
The More Things Change…
Paster reflected on the dramatic changes in medical technology over the years, noting that while tools like ultrasound, MRIs, and CT scans have revolutionized medicine, the core interaction with patients remains unchanged.
“Technology has changed medicine dramatically, but the interaction with patients is the same now as it was 45 years ago when I started,” he said.
Sharing anecdotes from his early career, Paster recalled a dear friend’s father, a Holocaust survivor, whose positive outlook on life led him and his wife, Penny, to ponder the elements of resilience and wellness that remain elusive. It’s that curiosity that prompted Paster to ask himself how he could change lives realizing that one way is through information.
The Importance of Health Literacy
Paster aims to reach people with information about salutogenic science and wellness through media, including his popular radio show “Zorba Paster On Your Health,” and his book, “The Longevity Code.”
“We have an individual longevity code that’s important to all of us,” shared Paster, adding that understanding that depression is as much of a risk factor for cardiovascular disease as high blood pressure is about health literacy.
It’s only through health literacy, according to Paster, that people can start to understand how addressing basic needs like food, shelter, love, belonging and respect impact health. Recounting a story of a patient misunderstanding medication instructions due to a lack of clear communication, Paster highlighted the importance of organizations like the Meadowood Health Partnership (MHP), the inaugural recipient of the Paster Family Foundation Salutogenic Science Award.
“What Meadowood is all about, among other things, is the teaching of health literacy so that people can make good decisions,” said Paster.
Meadowood Heath Partnership
With offices in the Meadowridge Library on Madison’s west side, the Meadowood Health Partnership’s mission is to strengthen families, promote literacy, and provide neighborhood-based model health care. Founder and Director Sheray Wallace, a certified nursing assistant and community organizer, saw a need for wraparound health support in her neighborhood and gathered community partners to offer a variety of programs and services to fill the void created by health disparities outlined in the 2013 Race to Equity Report.
One such program that promotes health literacy is Table Talks, which cover topics such as doctor-patient communication, gun safety, and mental health, often in multiple languages. These sessions, incentivized with stipends, engage participants and provide essential medical supplies, combining knowledge and wisdom to empower communities. The $5,000 award from the Paster Family Foundation will help Meadowood continue these programs.
In accepting the award on behalf of MHP, Wallace explained how investing in community health workers will change the future of health care.
“Community-based organizations like Meadowood Health Partnership are the bridge between patients and health care providers,” shared Wallace. “And patients who understand their health better are more likely to take care of themselves.”
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Frey Writing Awards
Dr. John Frey, center, congratulates the Frey Writing Award recipients. From left: Jonathan Temte, MD, PhD, Briana Krewson, DO, MPH, Frey, Ravi Hirekatur, MD, MS, and Caitlin Regner, MD.
The evening also included recognition of this year’s John Frey Writing Award recipients. The Frey Writing Awards were established in 2010 to honor John Frey, III, MD, past chair of the DFMCH, and to recognize and encourage individual creative writing.
Winners
- Night Shift (Samantha Barbour)
- Sip (Briana Krewson, DO, MPH)
Honorable Mention
- Pass the Buck Please (Ravi Hirekatur, MD, MS)
- Morning Coffee (Natasha Ignatowski, BS)
- Heart Broken (Caitlin Regner, MD)
- and still the sparrows (Jonathan Temte, MD, PhD)
Read all the submissions: 2024 John J. Frey, III, MD, Writing Award Submissions
2024 Farley-Frey Event Photos
Published: September 2024