2017 LECOM President’s Distinguished Service Awards

In conjunction with its 25th anniversary, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Bradenton presented the 2017 John M. Ferretti, D.O., President’s Distinguished Service Award to Anthony J. Ferretti, D.O., to Robert J. George, D.O., and to Richard P. Olinger, CPA, at commencement ceremonies June 4.

The John M. Ferretti, D.O., President’s Distinguished Service Award is presented to dedicated supporters who have demonstrated a profound and manifest pledge to LECOM and to its mission of preparing students to become first-rate osteopathic physicians, pharmacy practitioners and dentists.

Anthony J. Ferretti, D.O., is LECOM’s Associate Dean of Clinical Education. Dr. Ferretti was a dedicated officer in the U.S. military, serving in Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the early 1990s and activated again in 2003 and 2004 for Mission Iraqi Freedom.

Dr. Ferretti has directed many medical-facility operations in the past three decades, and he has been a member of the Department of Surgery at Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, PA, Past Residency Director of the MCH Orthopedic Residency Program, and Chairman for the Division of Orthopedics at Millcreek Community Hospital, where he has also served on the board of directors. Dr. Ferretti was a founding member of the board of trustees at LECOM and is currently a board member of LECOM Health.

In 2012, he received the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association’s (FOMA) highest honor, its Distinguished Service Award, given to an individual “in recognition of outstanding accomplishments in scientific, professional, osteopathic education, or service to the osteopathic profession at a state or national level.’

Robert J. George, D.O., is Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at LECOM Bradenton, which has placed him in the forefront of providing for the health care needs of the Southwest Florida region.

Dr. George has championed various community programs across the region and the state with the goal of bringing the best quality health care to the communities that he touches. He has done this by practicing the principles of osteopathic medicine throughout all aspects of his work and by creating affiliations with organizations that provide further opportunities for better training of new physicians. Many of LECOM’s successes as the nation’s largest medical school have come because of the leadership of Dr. George.

He received the FOMA Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, presented to “an osteopathic physician who has made a significant contribution to the osteopathic community in Florida over the span of his/her lifetime and (who has) carved a path for osteopathic physicians nationwide.”

Richard P. Olinger, CPA, is LECOM’s Vice President of Fiscal Affairs/Chief Financial Officer of the LECOM Health and Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, PA.

For more than two decades, Olinger has assisted LECOM in its growth as it seeks the well-being of the residents of the communities it serves. As a LECOM trustee, Olinger has championed LECOM’s vision and has advanced the strategic mission of the institution with dedication and farsightedness.

In presenting the award, Dr. John Ferretti said: “In our 25th year, few are more deserving of being celebrated than Richard P. Olinger.”