A full house and even fuller hearts: that was the mood Thursday, Nov. 14, when Mark Munetz, M.D., The Margaret Clark Morgan Endowed Chair and Professor of Psychiatry, was honored with the Compass Award at the 10th annual Peg’s Foundation Impact Awards, held in the Grand Ballroom of the NEW Center.
Surrounded at the dinner awards ceremony by family, friends and colleagues, Dr. Munetz beamed from the podium when he acknowledged all of them — in particular, his wife, fellow psychiatrist Lois Freedman, M.D.
Peg’s Foundation President Rick Kellar presented the Compass Award to Dr. Munetz for his achievements as a leader. The evening’s program noted, “His lifetime dedication to improving the lives of people living with serious mental illness exemplifies the commitment and action needed to care for the most vulnerable people among us.”
Dr. Munetz oversees three centers at NEOMED: the Best Practices in Schizophrenia Treatment (BeST) Center, the Ohio Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence, the Ohio Program for Campus Safety and Mental Health. In all of his work to help people with serious mental illness and improve the systems that serve them, it’s a team effort, said Dr. Munetz in his heartfelt remarks.
Nichole Ammon, M.S. Ed., a clinical assistant professor and manager in the BeST Center — and one of the many colleagues who came from far and near to attend – praised Dr. Munetz’s effective yet humble style of leadership.
Being on a team with Dr. Munetz, said Ammon, “always feels like working with, not working for, him.”
Dr. Munetz will retire from NEOMED on Dec. 31.
2019 Impact Awards Recipients
Nearly 450 people attended this year’s dinner and awards ceremony by Hudson-based Peg’s Foundation, whose mission is to improve the lives of people with serious mental illness by investing in innovative projects in Northeast Ohio having national transformative impact.
Peg’s Foundation has given a total of more than $20 million in grants to NEOMED to advance Department of Psychiatry initiatives.
In addition to the Compass Award presented to Dr. Munetz, the Foundation presented three additional awards at the dinner, which was held in the Grand Ballroom of the NEW Center:
Michael S. Bullock, Tarry House, Inc. – Making a Difference
APOLLO'S FIRE Baroque Orchestra – Excellence in the Arts
The LeBron James Family Foundation – Excellence in Fulfilling Promises
Watch a video about Dr. Munetz
You are invited
Dean Elisabeth Young, M.D., and the College of Medicine cordially invite you to a reception honoring Mark R. Munetz, M.D., The Margaret Clark Morgan Endowed Chair in Psychiatry, as he retires from distinguished service to Northeast Ohio Medical University.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
2 - 4 p.m.
Terrace Club
The NEW Center at Northeast Ohio Medical University
4211 OH-44, Rootstown, Ohio 44272
RSVP online or call 330.325.6698
Photo: Mark Munetz and his wife, Lois Freedman