Danbury Emergency Physician Named 2003 Magida Winner

TRUMBULL — Danbury Hospital’s nominee, William V. Begg, III, MD, of Newtown, has been named this year’s recipient of the prestigious Dr Melville G. Magida Award.

Now in its 24th presentation by the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation in cooperation with the Fairfield County Medical Association (FCMA), the award recognizes a younger Fairfield County physician (no older than 39 years of age) for “demonstrated notable capability in patient treatment and care and a special sensitivity to patient-physician relationships.”

Board certified in emergency medicine, Dr Begg is currently a Danbury Hospital Emergency Department attending physician and serves on the Credentials and Trauma Peer Review Committees, as well as the Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction and Emergency Department Trauma Task Forces at the hospital. He received the AMA Physician Recognition Award in 1995 and again in 2003, and the “National EMS Recognition Award” in 2001.

According to Patrick Broderick, MD, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Danbury Hospital, “Bill is truly deserving of the recognition of an unwavering commitment to the practice of Emergency Medicine and the professional and compassionate care he gives. To see him receive the Magida Award reaffirms my belief that good things to happen to good people.”

John Murphy, MD, a Danbury neurologist and the 1995 recipient of the Magida Award, concurs that Dr Begg is a terrific asset to the medical staff of Danbury Hospital. Commenting that the ER is by its very nature an intense environment where rapid assessment, effective communication, and skillful intervention are all essential, Dr Murphy emphasizes Dr Beggs’ superior capabilities. Referring to Dr Begg, he says, “He is admired and respected by the entire ER staff. The medical staff, the Danbury Hospital, and its employees, as well as the Danbury community, are thrilled with his selection as this year’s recipient of the Magida Award.”

The chairman of the Credentials Committee, Thomas Draper, MD, says Dr Begg has been a most enthusiastic and valuable committee member since its inception. To put it into proper perspective he states, “The nature of the Magida Award is to look beyond those things a physician might provide in their own practice of medicine. It is the effort over and above yourself.” From Dr Draper’s perspective, the important work provided by the Credentials Committee “provides a community service at the highest level, which is exactly the arena in which Bill excels.”

In addition to consistently participating in a variety of teaching opportunities at Danbury Hospital, Dr Begg has served as a preceptor for the Yale University, St Francis Pennsylvania, and Quinnipiac University Physician Assistant programs. And, according to Dr Broderick, “the hours of bedside teaching that Bill does are uncountable.”

Dr Begg also finds time to be an active participant in the greater Danbury community, where he lives in Newtown with his wife and three young children. He has spoken on the deleterious effects of teenage drinking on many occasions at various high schools; he has participated on numerous panels promoting both safe driving and rallying against the use of drugs.

Dr Begg received his bachelor of art degree, with honors, from Fairfield University and his medical degree (also with honors) from New York Medical College. He performed his emergency medicine residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., where he was named Emergency Medicine Resident of the Year in 1992. Asked about his reaction to receiving the Magida Award, Dr Begg said, “This is the pinnacle of my medical career. I am as enthusiastic about my career in medicine today as I was the day I entered medical school.”

The award was established by the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation of Stamford, in honor of the late Melville G. Magida, MD, who was the Rosenthal family physician. The award will be presented to Dr Begg at the FCMA’s 211th Semi-Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 9, at the Sheraton Stamford Hotel.

“The Magida Award is our most prestigious. It honors the best young physicians for their exceptional commitment to the treatment and care of patients,” said Mark S. Thompson, executive director of the FCMA. “Being nominated for this distinguished award is an honor because it is your peers who feel you are worthy to join an elite group of individuals.”

Founded in 1792, the Fairfield County Medical Association is a professional membership organization representing 2,000 physicians who are dedicated to a healthier Fairfield County.