Volume 21, No. 1                           April 1996

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) awarded its prestigious Maxwell Finland Award to the Honorable Paul G. Rogers on Wednesday evening February 28, 1996. Mr. Rogers was honored at a black tie gala held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC This tribute is awarded annually by the NFID to honor individuals whose outstanding efforts and achievements have contributed significantly to improving the health of Americans and all mankind.

The selection of Paul Rogers for the Maxwell Finland Award was based on his deep concern for the betterment of public health through federal legislation while representing his Florida district in Congress from 1955-1979. Of his twenty-four years in Congress, Mr. Rogers spent eight years as the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment, where he became known as "Mr. Health." During his years on the subcommittee Mr. Rogers had a major influence on every piece of significant health legislation to pass Congress.

Leon G. Smith, MD, President of NFID, and Sir Richard Sykes, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Glaxo Wellcome, plc, NFID Trustee, and Co-Chairman of the dinner, presented the award to Mr. Rogers. Dr. Sykes cited Rogers' "diligent hard work" without which "the public may not have benefitted from critical laws such as The Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking water Act, the Radiation Health Safety Act, and the Medicare-Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendments" as illustrative of the numerous projects in which he played a major role.

The award is named for the late Maxwell Finland, MD, a distinguished scholar, scientist, and teacher. Dr. Finland did pioneering work in the diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology of bacterial infections; the evaluation of antimicrobials; and the demonstration of the evolving problem of antimicrobial resistance. He was a driving force in shaping infectious diseases training programs in the United States and in defining the discipline of infectious diseases as we know it today. He was particularly noted for his training of young infectious diseases physicians who then went on to head programs throughout the country. Dr. Finland was a former member of the NFID Board of Directors.

In accepting the award, Mr. Rogers stated that "although I did not have the privilege of knowing Dr. Finland, I do know of his accomplishments, his leadership and his significant impact in the fight against infectious diseases. I have met and know many of his students who have become leaders in medicine and who carry on his dedicated fight. I am proud to receive the award that bears his name."

Mr. Rogers' acceptance remarks included a light-hearted approach to demonstrate the advances that have been made in health since the turn of the century. Those in the audience of 350 were asked to stand if a red, blue, or yellow dot appeared on their dinner program. These dots represented mortality due to tuberculosis, influenza and typhoid, the leading causes of death in the United States in the early 20th century.

Past recipients of the Maxwell Finland Award include: C. Everett Koop, MD, former US Surgeon General; Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH; P. Roy Vagelos, MD, former Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Company; the late Mrs. Albert Lasker, President of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation; Michael E. DeBakey, MD, Chancellor, Baylor College of Medicine and renowned surgeon; the late Arthur Ashe, Jr., world renowned tennis player and humanitarian, Elizabeth H. Dole, current President of the American Red Cross, The Honorable Dale Bumpers, Senator from Arkansas, and Mrs. Betty F. Bumpers, Co-founder of "Every Child By Two."

The honorary co-chairs for the occasion were President Bill Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Carter, and former President Gerald R. Ford and Mrs. Ford. Thomas G. Ferguson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CommonHealth USA and an NFID Trustee and Sir Richard Sykes were Co-Chairs. Prior to the dinner and entertainment guests were invited to attend two receptions. One was made possible by Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Glaxo Wellcome, Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Dr. and Mrs. Ernest A. Mario, Merck Vaccine Division, North American Vaccine, Inc., Ortho-McNeil Corporation, Procter & Gamble Health Care, Roerig Division of Pfizer, Salick Health Care, Searle, SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Dr. Frank Stanton, Tufts Associated Health Plans, Dr. and Mrs. John P. Utz, and Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines and Pediatrics. SmithKline Beecham hosted a private reception for the honoree, their family and special guests.

The festive evening opened with the presentation of the colors by the United States Armed Forces Color Guard, followed by the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by the Honorable Robert H. Michel, former House Minority Leader and, along with Mr. Rogers, a partner in the Washington, DC, law firm of Hogan and Hartson. William A. Holmes, DD, who serves as minister of the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, gave the invocation. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are members of his congregation.

Among the many distinguished guests in attendance were: The Honorable Richard Schweiker, former US Senator from Pennsylvania and former Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Kenneth Kizer, Under Secretary for Health, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Raymond Vickery, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Trade Development, US Department of Commerce, Dr. Fauci, the Maxwell Finland Award honoree in 1989, Dr. Alan Hinman, Senior Advisor to the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. James Hughes, Director, National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC; and Dr. Antonia Novello, former US Surgeon General.