VCU Medical Center Chair of International Medicine receives alumni achievement award from Jefferson Medical College

By Malorie Burkett

RICHMOND, Va. – Dr. Richard P. Wenzel, chair of internal medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and president of MCV Physicians, has been selected to receive the Alumni Achievement Award from Philadelphia’s Jefferson Medical College.

This is the most prestigious honor that the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Association can confer.

“I have been fortunate in my career to have surrounded myself with excellent mentors and colleagues, whose standards have been exceptionally high,” said Wenzel. “To me this award symbolizes a quest to excel, to be innovative, and to be the beneficiary of the interactions with so many inquisitive students who have taught me so much.”

The award honors graduates who have brought honor and prestige to the school. Wenzel was selected by the Achievement Award Committee for his academic accomplishments in research, teaching, scholarship and administration.

A professor of internal medicine at VCU and an internationally known expert on infectious diseases, Wenzel was recently among the leading commentators on the SARS outbreak and was at the forefront of the national debate on smallpox vaccination. In addition, he serves as president of MCV Physicians, the physician practice plan of more than 600 physicians who are faculty of VCU’s School of Medicine and serve as the medical staff for the VCU Medical Center. Wenzel received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1965, and his Master of Science degree from the University of London in 1986. He is a resident of Richmond.

Wenzel received the award during the annual Alumni Banquet at Jefferson Medical College this month.