Faculty and student chosen for Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award

The Texas A&M College of Medicine has announced Marietta Clewing, MD, medical student clerkship director for the Houston campus of the College of Medicine, and Nitin Agrawal, graduating medical student, as the 2020 faculty and student recipients, respectively, for the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine award recognizes graduating seniors and faculty members who exhibit the highest standards of empathy and humanism in regard to respecting patients, families and health care colleagues.

More than 100 accredited medical schools from the United States and Canada participate in presenting the award to their chosen recipients every year. The colleges select their recipients based on a nomination system. The nominations Clewing received highlight her dedication and commitment to students and patients.

Clewing received her medical degree from Freie Universitat and completed her residency in internal medicine at the Jacobi-Einstein College of Medicine. She is a board-certified internist at Methodist Hospital in Houston and joined the Department of Internal Medicine in 2009. She has a passion for medical education and has a strong interest in clinical and experimental research, resulting in her publishing a number of publications and conducting national and international presentations.

“Dr. Clewing has displayed time and time again her ability to respect and work with various cultures and patient/family dynamics,” one person who nominated her said. “She practices patient-centered health care and has taught us multiple ways to accommodate and appreciate a patient’s perspective even when it doesn’t necessarily align with our own views.”

Agrawal, who will be pursuing a career in internal medicine, has been an integral part of the College of Medicine campus leadership and activities since he began medical school. He was elected as student advocate by his classmates and has been critical to the functioning of Martha’s Health Clinic, an entirely student organized and run clinic based in Temple for the homeless and underinsured local population.

“He is the first volunteer to arrive and usually the last one to leave,” one classmate said, highlighting Agrawal’s dedication to compassionate patient care and enthusiasm for learning, which inspire his peers and faculty daily.

The Gold Foundation created the award in 1991 at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The award has been solely sponsored by the Gold Foundation since 2003 due to a donation from Leonard Tow, billionaire philanthropist and founder of the Tow Foundation.