Bill Hazel
The Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) Foundation recently honored George Mason University’s Bill Hazel for his years of dedicated service to the medical field.
Hazel, the former two-term Virginia secretary of health and human resources now serving as Mason’s senior advisor for innovation and community engagement, received the foundation’s 2019 Salute to Service Award for Outstanding Service to the Profession. Hazel, who served as the foundation’s president in 2001, was among five recipients who were formally recognized with the honor at this year’s Physicians Gala at the Omni Homestead in Hot Springs on Oct. 19.
“It always nice to be honored by your professional organization,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of work with them over the years. It’s a nice thing to have your contributions recognized.”
While serving as the state’s top doctor, Hazel established the Virginia IT exchange and the Virginia Center for Health Innovation’s Connect Virginia. He also served as co-chair to the first Virginia Children’s Cabinet and on the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse. Hazel served seven years on the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees and was the recipient of the 2018 Northern Virginia Family Services Legend of Northern Virginia Award.
“He was a constant advocate for low-income Virginians who needed care,” said Thomas Eppes, a doctor at Central Virginia Family Physicians. “And also a true innovator in ways to strengthen behavioral health.”
The MSV Foundation created its annual Salute to Service Awards in 2004 as a way to recognize the outstanding efforts of physicians and physicians-in-training whose dedication to exceptional levels of health care service have made a significant impact on patient care.