SARASOTA, Fla., April 19, 2007—Cristina Pelaez, MD, a pediatrician with Manatee County Rural Health Services (MCRHS), was honored today by the Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center (GSAHEC) at an awards luncheon held at the Holiday Inn Lakewood Ranch.
Pelaez, who has been with MCRHS since July 2005, received an award of excellence for her outstanding and dedicated service in precepting local students interested in healthcare careers. She was previously recognized with a 2004-2005 “USF Pediatric Resident Teacher of the Year” award for her work as a preceptor.
“There are many qualities of a good doctor that can be taught through mentoring young students,” said Dr. Pelaez, a pediatrician with MCRHS. “I was very fortunate as a student to be exposed to such a wide array of people and disciplines and I enjoy giving back a bit of what I learned to tomorrow’s healthcare professionals.”
MCRHS, a private, not-for-profit organization not affiliated with Manatee County government, is a community-based primary care group specializing in family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, dentistry, acute care, optometry, infectious diseases, podiatry and chiropractic care, as well as preventative health education and a discount pharmacy for its patients.
GSAHEC is part of the University of South Florida Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program and serves Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Pelaez, throughout her time at MCRHS, has been a mentor to many students that have passed through the educational programs. During her USF residency, Pealaez worked under the
guidance of Xavier Sevilla, MD, another MCRHS physician and AHEC preceptor. Dr. Sevilla was also a beneficiary of an AHEC rotation during his medical school education.
The award was presented by Edna Apostol, CEO of GSAHEC, and Emily Meade, Clinical Training Coordinator at GSAHEC.
Pelaez serves as the primary pediatrician at the MCRHS Edgar H. Price Jr. Children and Family Healthcare Center. Her ability to communicate in two languages has allowed her to serve a wide array of patients during her career.
“Dr. Pelaez is a prime example of the caliber and commitment of the physicians we have on staff at MCRHS,” said Walter L. Presha, president and CEO of MCRHS. “We pride ourselves in providing outstanding clinical care to all of our patients with dedicated and knowledgeable physicians in every area of practice.”
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MCRHS was established in 1979 to provide the first health care services specifically targeted to the underserved, rural community in Manatee County, Fla. Today, MCRHS has grown to be into one of the premier health care providers in West Central Florida. With 20 healthcare centers and a staff of more than 340 covering Manatee, Sarasota, Hardee and DeSoto counties, MCRHS continues to provide outstanding clinical services in partnership with top physicians and hospitals in the region. For more information, visit www.mcrhs.org.
AHECs were established in the 1970s to address the maldistribution of health care professionals in the nation’s medically underserved areas. Currently there are 50 AHEC Programs and 200 centers. AHECs link communities with academic health centers thus promoting cooperative solutions to local health problems. There are ten centers in the state of Florida which are affiliated with one of five AHEC programs administered by Florida medical schools. For more information about the Florida AHEC Network, visit www.flahec.org.
