Every year, in preparing for our Champions of Health Care edition, we ask our readers to nominate those health care leaders who have done exemplary work in the fields of medicine and wellness.
And this year's response was no different than in years past. We were overwhelmed.
Our stack of nominations grew to almost 200 pages, filled with names from the best of the best in Chattanooga's health care industry.
Judges for this event didn't have it easy. With representatives from the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society and Chattanooga's three top health care systems -- CHI Memorial, Erlanger and Parkridge -- our panel was tasked with selecting 13 winners from the many nominees we received.
Sorting through these names and stories, one thing is clear. We are lucky to live in a community of so many dedicated health professionals.
These are people who give of themselves every day to make life better for the people in the region. They're meeting patients without judgement. Knocking down cultural and economic barriers to reach the underserved. Pushing to improve health care accessibility to all populations.
Truthfully, though, it's almost impossible to convey the level of dedication and compassion of this medical community in one sentence or paragraph. A better way, we think, is for you to read it story by story.
Discover their energy, and join us in saluting their work.
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* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Access Family Pharmacy, community outreach — organization
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Dr. Joe Cofer, lifetime achievement
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Herb Cohn, health care volunteer
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Jim Coppinger, innovation in health care — special recognition
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Galen Medical Group, innovation in health care
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Debra Moore, administrative excellence
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Dr. Mitchell Mutter, lifetime achievement
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Tom Ozburn, community outreach — individual
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Dr. Mukta Panda, physician — academic
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Dr. Colleen Schmitt, physician — community
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Paulo Hutson Solórzano, rising star
* 2022 Champions of Health Care: Dr. Robert Zylstra, non-physician practitioner