The Robert A. Copeland Jr., MD, Advocacy Education Fund was established in 2018 to honor the late founding chairman of ophthalmology at Howard University, who had a history of engaging members-in-training in advocacy and a desire for greater engagement in advocacy by all ophthalmologists. Fittingly, the fund historically has covered the annual expenses for one resident to attend the Academy’s Mid-Year Forum and Congressional Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., as an Advocacy Ambassador.
On Selecting the Copeland Fellow
The Academy and the National Medical Association, the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States, are proud to recognize Michael S. Quist, MD, as the third annual Copeland Fellow for 2020. We look forward to his future in advocating on behalf of ophthalmology, its members and patients for better quality care.
As the 2020 Copeland Fellow, how will Dr. Quist continue the legacy of the fund’s namesake?
Dr. Quist said he has a strong belief that physicians have the ability to shape the future of medicine.
“It’s imperative for health care providers to play a role in making the decisions and legislation that regulate how we provide care,” said Dr. Quist, a third-year resident at the Duke Eye Center.
Dr. Quist has a medical degree from Duke University and bachelor’s degrees in biology and economics from Yale University. He is also a two-time Rabb-Venable Excellence in Research Award recipient, a Feagin Leadership Scholar, an American Glaucoma Society Bernard Schwartz Award recipient and a cited author.
Because the Academy’s 2020 Mid-Year Forum was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Quist will be honored at the virtual 2021 Mid-Year Forum and participate in virtual sessions on April 23 and 24. In addition, he will join a contingent of North Carolina ophthalmologists during virtual sessions May 5 with legislators as part of the Academy’s Congressional Advocacy Day.