Medical Society of the District of Columbia Honors Neal Barnard, MD, FACC

WASHINGTON—The Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC) will present Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, its Distinguished Service Award at MSDC’s 201st Annual Meeting and Reception on Oct. 19.

Dr. Barnard has been active in promoting prevention and nutrition through MSDC and the American Medical Association, and has been particularly focused on improving access to healthy foods in the District. As founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the Barnard Medical Center, he has been instrumental in improving federal nutrition guidelines and has led numerous clinical research studies on nutrition, including a groundbreaking study testing the effects of plant-based diets for type 2 diabetes, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Barnard is an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. 

“I am grateful to be able to work with my MSDC and AMA colleagues for better health and nutrition,” says Dr. Barnard. The Physicians Committee is currently sponsoring a campaign in D.C. that includes bus shelter, TV, and radio ads warning residents about the link between processed meat and colorectal cancer. The Barnard Medical Center regularly hosts free Food for Life nutrition and cooking classes to help D.C. residents fight diseases including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Founded in 1817, MSDC is the largest medical organization representing metropolitan Washington physicians in the District. MSDC advocates for patients, physicians, the medical profession, and the betterment of public health.