Release Date: 1/30/2023
The 2022 Ochsner Lifetime Achievement Award was recently awarded to George Pankey, MD, who has led the Infectious Disease team at Ochsner for nearly 60 years and is internationally recognized as an expert in the field.
Ochsner Chief Physician Officer Robert Hart, MD and Ochsner CEO Pete November presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Pankey at a reception honoring 80 years of the Ochsner Group Practice.
Dr. Pankey is a true pioneer, a motivational leader, and mentor. In fact, there was no infectious disease program at Ochsner before Dr. Pankey. It was his deep interest in research and solving medical mysteries that led to the formation of the Department of Infectious Disease in 1963. With 15 infectious disease physicians on staff today, Dr. Pankey has grown the reputation of Ochsner as a leader in the field of infectious disease.
During his six decades with Ochsner, Dr. Pankey and his team have led our organization through numerous epidemics including HIV/AIDS, anthrax and bioterrorism, West Nile Virus and Ebola. Without his expertise, Ochsner’s leadership and strong response during the COVID-19 pandemic simply would have not been possible.
Dr. Pankey has devoted his entire career to Ochsner, his patients and his colleagues. Take a moment to watch this video of the significant impact Dr. Pankey has had in the lives and careers of others:
