Chief Medical Officer Awarded Highest Honor

Raghu Adiga, MD, serves not only as chief medical officer (CMO) at Liberty Hospital, but also as one of the region’s leading infectious disease specialists. This week the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the nation’s leading infectious diseases society, honored Dr. Adiga among 181 distinguished physicians from around the world as a Fellow of IDSA. Fellowship in IDSA is the highest honor in the field of infectious diseases, given to those who have achieved professional excellence and provided significant service to the profession.

“Dr. Adiga truly is deserving of this prestigious honor, and it is altogether fitting that IDSA has recognized him with this award,” said Liberty Hospital CEO David Feess. “Dr. Adiga has defined a local and regional leadership role by guiding the hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as participating with other regional CMOs to provide transparency and guidance on the spread of COVID-19. He has advised our community partners in public health and education on their pandemic response. His expertise has been a tremendous asset to Liberty Hospital and to the region.”

“Infectious diseases specialists have trained their entire careers to step up to the plate during a crisis such as the one we face today with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said IDSA President Barbara Alexander, MD, MHS, FIDSA. “These physicians and scientists are working on the front lines of every aspect of this outbreak, from treating patients to developing and studying diagnostics and therapies to working on vaccines. They are also preparing for the next outbreak and protecting individual and public health. The 181 individuals receiving the FIDSA designation this year represent true leaders in the field, and I am proud to call them colleagues.”

Candidates for IDSA Fellowship must be nominated by their peers and meet specified criteria that include continuing identification with the field of infectious diseases, national or regional recognition, and publication of their scholarly work. Nominees are reviewed and elected by the IDSA Board of Directors. Fellows of IDSA work in many different settings, including clinical practice, teaching, research, public health and health care administration.

KPGZ News – Jim Dickerson contributed to this story