TTUHSC Professor Receives State Award for Excellence

The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has awarded Surendra K. Varma, M.D., associate dean for Graduate Medical Education and resident affairs and professor in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Department of Pediatrics, the 2014 Texas Medical Association Platinum Award for Excellence in Academic Medicine.

The Platinum Award is TMA’s highest honor specifically reserved for academic physicians designed to allow TMA to recognize physicians for their achievements and dedication to teaching and service to academic and organized medicine. Steven L. Berk, M.D., TTUHSC executive vice president, provost and School of Medicine dean, said TMA had a highly distinguished and diverse applicant pool and Varma was unanimously selected for the 2014 honor.

“Dr. Varma has been a leader in education and in the field of pediatrics,” said Steven L. Berk said. “His commitment to our medical students, residents and his patients has made a tremendous impact on our School of Medicine and our community. We congratulate Dr. Varma for this prestigious award.”

Varma, who serves as the Ted Hartman Endowed Chair of Medical Education, the University Distinguished Professor and vice chairman of pediatrics at the TTUHSC School of Medicine, established the Endocrine-Metabolic Division in the TTUHSC Department of Pediatrics in 1974 and started providing care to children with diabetes and other endocrine-metabolic diseases. With the help of then Texas Sen. Kent Hence, who was instrumental in getting the law passed for newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism. At the same time, he established the pediatric residency program in Lubbock. Varma stepped down as director of the program in 2012 after 33 years.

He was the recipient of Charles Daeschner Award for Lifetime Achievement in Pediatrics from Texas Pediatric Society, the Hippocrates Award from the Lubbock-Crosby-Garza County Medical Society, and the Honoris Causa (Doctor of Science) from King George’s Medical University. He has twice been nominated to receive Padma Shree (Medal of Honor) from the Government of India.

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