Melvin R. Kaplan to be honored for his lifetime devotion to the care of patients

American College of Physicians to recognize Melvin R. Kaplan, M.D., F.A.C.P.

Melvin R. Kaplan, MD, FACP, a former Board Chair and one of the founders of the research institute that became Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed), will be honored by the American College of Physicians for his lifetime devotion to the care of patients.

At its April 22, 2010 meeting in Toronto, the American College of Physicians will present Dr. Kaplan with the Ralph O. Claypoole Sr. Memorial Award for Devotion of a Career in Internal Medicine to the Care of Patients, an honor it said it bestows annually on "an outstanding practitioner of internal medicine." The organization said the honoree must be "highly respected" by his peers and have served as a "role model" for others.

"The competition for this award was extremely stiff, but your contributions were the most outstanding," said Faith T. Fitzgerald, MD, MACP, chair of the American College of Physicians Award Committee, in the letter notifying Dr. Kaplan of his award. "We look forward to acknowledging your stellar career."

Dr. Kaplan has been affiliated with Harbor-UCLA Medical Center since 1950, including serving five years as chief of medicine. He continues to serve as a clinical professor of medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He also served on the committee that recommended the creation of a research institute on Harbor-UCLA Medical Center's campus, the institute that became LA BioMed. In addition, he served as president and chair of the board of directors at the institute from 1978 to 1981.

LA BioMed honored him in 2004 as one of its "Legends," and he's received numerous awards over his career, including the Lifetime Distinguished Service Award, the Distinguished Service and Leadership Award and the Distinguished Teaching Award, all from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also recognized his service in 2002 with a commendation, and the National Management Association presented him with the Silver Knight of Management Award in 1980.

"Congratulations to Dr. Kaplan for this wonderful recognition of the care he's provided patients for more than 60 years," said LA BioMed President and CEO David I. Meyer, PhD. "Dr. Kaplan was among the visionaries who saw the potential for creating a research institute on the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center campus. Because of their vision, LA BioMed is thriving today and leading the way in taking discoveries from the bench side to the bedside."