Wheaton Doctor Honored with Humanitarian Award

The following was provided by Northwestern Medicine:

Dr. David Watt, a resident of Wheaton, was honored by Northwestern Medicine with the 2017 Humanitarian Award. Watt was one of five staff members presented with awards for their extraordinary contributions to the community and embodying the legacy of the Reverence Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Watt is an orthopaedic surgeon at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital.

David Watt, MD, orthopaedics at Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group, was recognized for his international and local volunteer work. Dr. Watt’s first medical mission trip took place when he was studying to become a doctor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. His volunteer work, including with the group MedSend, has taken him around the globe to places like the Ivory Coast, China and Mexico, while he also found ways to contribute at home serving his community through volunteering as a team physician, providing free surgeries to international patients in need, mentoring students and, with his wife, donating an anatomy lab to Wheaton College. In 2016, he retired from his volunteer position at the Lawndale Christian Health Center, after 30 years of providing orthopaedic care to Chicago’s underserved west side.

The Humanitarian Awards Program launched in 1979 to commemorate the life and legacy of the late Dr. King and to celebrate his virtues and ideals of community giving, equality, unity and excellence. The award honors individuals, both employees and physicians from across the Northwestern Medicine health system, who best exemplify the ideals of Dr. King, as demonstrated by a positive impact in the community. Since its creation the Humanitarian Award has been awarded to 70 employees and 23 physicians.

Rami Nashashibi, PhD, executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), delivered the keynote address about the ideals and humanitarian efforts of Dr. King and his lasting impact on the city of Chicago. Nashashibi and IMAN led the community-driven creation of the first permanent memorial to Dr. King in the state of Illinois. The MLK Living Memorial Project was dedicated last August in Marquette Park on Chicago’s southwest side.

“I’m inspired, I’m in awe of those that continue to make that sacrifice; who remind one another that it is possible; that remind all of us that living up to those values that are enshrined in our documents; that are enshrined in those that have reminded us time and time again that what makes the country great, what makes the city great, is the vision of those who have never tired from helping us realize our full human potential,” remarked Nashashibi during his address.

To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit http://news.nm.org/about-northwestern-medicine.html.

Photo at top: Dr. David Watt, orthopaedic surgeon, is awarded the Northwestern Medicine Humanitarian Award by Awards Committee member Megan McCann. Photo provided by Northwestern Medicine.