Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation

Ironwood Doc receives Outstanding Community Volunteer Faculty Award

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

MARQUETTE – Ironwood’s James Hubbard, MD, was honored by Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine (CHM) for his work with medical students.

“The students are enthusiastic and idealistic and their energy keeps me in touch with why I went into medicine in the first place.  They keep me on my toes and keep my skills sharp.  In short, I teach for purely selfish reasons--It's a lot of fun!” Hubbard said.

CHM’s Rural Physician Program focuses on training physicians to serve Michigan’s rural and underserved communities. Ten students from each CHM class are selected to do their clinical training at the UP Campus in Marquette. Students work with doctors and residents in the Marquette General Health System and other community-based practices.

Hubbard, who works with Grand View Health System, grew up in a rural town in Northwest Washington and always planned to practice in a rural community.

“The position in Ironwood is ideal.  The hospital lets me pursue a broad practice including pediatrics, critical care medicine and OB.  The area is beautiful and we love the people," Hubbard said.

Hubbard’s affinity for teaching may have been less obvious than his love for small-town life, but his enthusiasm and skill point to a natural ability.

“When Jim became aware of the possibility of having CHM students with him during their rural family medicine clerkship, he immediately volunteered and has been an outstanding mentor to our young professionals ever since,” said David Luoma, MD, Community Assistant Dean and CEO of the Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation, which operates CHM’s UP Campus and MGHS’s Marquette Family Medicine Residency.

“Jim, who also works with our family medicine residents, is consistently praised by our learners for his outstanding clinical and interpersonal skills, as well as his sense of duty to patients,” Luoma added.

“Jim has brought distinction and honor to the College,” said Marsha Rappley, MD, dean of the medical school.

The Community Volunteer Faculty Award recognizes that CHM’s programs are heavily dependent on volunteer faculty donating time and energy to the college. The award is presented each year to outstanding role models within CHM’s network, which includes six community campuses throughout the state.

 “I love teaching!  Part of the culture of how doctors are trained involves teaching.  The interns train the medical students, the senior residents train the junior residents and the attendings train everyone.  When I finished my training and started practicing on my own, I really missed that environment.  I'd see an interesting case in the office or perform an interesting procedure and I'd lament not having a student to share the experience with,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard has worked with Grand View Health System since 2001 and has been a CHM volunteer faculty member since 2003. In that time he has also received MSU’s Excellence in Teaching award and the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation Pfizer Teacher Development Award. He was also a medical volunteer in Biloxi, Mississippi, for the 2005 Katrina disaster relief effort.

Hubbard served as an army tank sergeant prior to attending Western Washington University in Bellingham, where he earned a degree in biology before attending the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle. He completed his family medicine residency in Tacoma, Washington in 2001.

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