Access to Care Award

SHELBY HARTWELL, M.D. RECEIVES CMS FOUNDATION’S 2021 ACCESS TO CARE AWARD, IN HONOR OF ROBIN MCDOUGALL

The Capital Medical Society Foundation awarded the 2021 Access to Care Award in Honor of Robin McDougall to Shelby Hartwell, M.D. in May 2021. The FSU College of Medicine’s Annual Awards Ceremony could not be held due to COVID-19.

The CMS Foundation’s Access to Care Award is named for Robin McDougall, LCSW, who championed increased access to healthcare as the Program Coordinator of our We Care Network for 14 years. The We Care Network is the Capital Medical Society Foundation’s program operated by local physicians who donate medical specialty care to local low-income, uninsured patients. It is our Foundation’s mission to increase access to care.

Shelby Hartwell graduated from New College of Florida, the honors college of the state, in 2016, after defending her Honors Thesis in January on the cell signaling pathway in maize during the gravitropic response. At New College she spent time as president of the Swim Club and held several TA and research assistant positions. Many of her summers were spent as a camp counselor in the Rocky Mountains, empowering children of all ages. Shelby chose to attend the Florida State University College of Medicine after seeing the health disparities present in her local ER, where she worked as a scribe for two years and served as chief scribe. She is honored and humbled to be a part of the Class of 2021 and to learn more on how she can improve health equity. She was honored to graduate from the Florida State University College of Medicine on May 15, 2021. She hopes to uphold the mission of patient-centered health care and serving the underserve in her practice of medicine.

Dr. Nicole Bentze, dean of the Sarasota Regional Campus, shared in her nomination of Hartwell:

“During that time, she has proven to be an excellent medical student, peer mentor and patient advocate. She is a champion for health equity and has demonstrated unwavering dedication to the school's mission. In 2020, Shelby was recognized with induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS). In her first two years at FSU COM, Shelby was active in leadership, mentorship, and community outreach. She served as President of PRIDE in Healthcare, Secretary for the American Medical Association FSU COM student chapter, Editor for Humanism Evolving Through Art and Literature (HEAL) Journal and co-founded FSU's Medical Students for Choice, an organization that established a clinical rotation in Family Planning. She was Co-Lead Organizer for Racism Awareness Week (RAW) and Cover the Uninsured Week. Further, Shelby was also awarded the Chapman Scholarship for Humanism twice.

Shelby is a wonderful example of the Florida State University College of Medicine’s mission to develop exemplary physicians who care for vulnerable and underrepresented populations within the State of Florida. As President of PRIDE in Healthcare, she had gender-neutral restroom signs installed, incorporated inclusive language into our intake forms, and sought out a rotation in gender-affirming care. Shelby also advocated for genderneutral restroom signs when the Sarasota regional campus moved to its new location in January of 2020. While working at CAN Community Health, she helped patients affected by HIV, Hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted infections. Shelby also completed a rotation in Women's Health working with at-risk and underserved populations in Immokalee, FL.

In summary, Shelby is a sincere and motivated student who is a strong advocate for vulnerable populations. She is a role model of compassionate, patient-centered care and has worked diligently to increase access to healthcare for underserved populations. Simply put, Shelby Hartwell exemplifies the mission model of the FSU College of Medicine.”

Dr. Hartwell exemplifies our future, a young physician who will take an on-going interest in increasing access to medical care for the underserved. We wish her the best as she begins her residency in ObstetricsGynecology at the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies.