Local Physician and Global Humanitarian to Receive Award for Distinguished Public Service
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Local
Physician and Global Humanitarian to Receive Award for Distinguished Public
Service
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For the second consecutive year, the McCormack Institute has chosen to honor a private citizen for his acts of public service. For this year’s honoree the acts of service span a lifetime and the globe. On April 23, Thomas Durant will receive the John Joseph Moakley Award for Distinguished Public Service, an honor that has only been bestowed upon four individuals since it was established seven years ago. The award, named in honor of Congressman Joe Moakley from the Ninth Congressional District, is not given every year, but rather when an individual is identified by Moakley and the McCormack Institute for extraordinary public service. This year’s recipient is no exception.
A trained physician, Durant serves as the assistant director of Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School. A graduate of Boston College, Durant received his bachelor’s degree in biology and his medical degree from Georgetown University. The service and activities related to his professional work began in 1969 when he served as a consultant to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Refugees and Civilian Casualties in Vietnam. This was followed by his service to Speaker “Tip” O’Neill’s Committee on Cambodian Refugees on the Cambodian Border in 1979.
From December 1980 to January 1981, he served as a consultant to the Abdul Aziz Hospital in Saudia Arabia. In addition to these activities Durant is being honored for his lifelong dedication to bring medical assistance to the poor and malnourished in strife-torn areas all over the world. Whether it’s the refugees in Kosovo, Somalia, or Rwanda, or the victims of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras, Durant’s humanitarian efforts have been delivered with great compassion, justice, and humility.
“The remarkable range and depth of Dr. Durant’s humanitarian
activities and the fact that the beneficiaries of his efforts are quite
often humble and without substantial resources...make him the perfect
recipient of the Moakley award,” said Ed Beard, director of the McCormack
Institute.
Much like the man for whom this award was named, Durant has never forgotten
his roots. He was born and raised in Dorchester and lives there to this
day. Not far from his home, Durant serves on the Board of Trustees of
St. Mary’s Women and Infants Center in Dorchester, among other organizations.
He is the recipient of several awards for his career achievements and
humanitarian service. Most recently, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
honored him with the Award for Courageous Service.
Congressman Moakley said, “Tom Durant is one of the finest men I have the pleasure to call my friend. He has a very special blend of compassion and strength of character that make him not only an extraordinary physician, but a tireless crusader for human rights for men, women, and children all over the world. Dr. Durant is truly a champion of the human spirit.”