We are proud to congratulate Michael Whitner, MD for receiving the Boston Children’s Hospital Community Pediatrician Award. This honor is the highest award granted to physicians in the larger Boston Children’s Hospital community, traditionally primary care doctors in the Greater Boston area. Nominated by their peers, Community Pediatrician Award winners demonstrate exemplary patient care, compassionate treatment of all children, commitment to innovation, or excellence in teaching.
“Dr. Whitner’s sense of humor and wit has contributed to a positive work environment while his ‘can do’ approach has supported innovation after innovation at our practices,” said Dan Slater, MD, Chair of Pediatrics at Atrius Health. “Above all, he has been a consummate pediatrician to a large panel of patients for nearly 30 years. I am not aware of a more fitting recipient of this award than Dr. Michael Whitner.”
Dr. Whitner has had a distinguished career as a pediatrician and as chief at Atrius Health’s Harvard Vanguard Quincy location. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Hospital Pediatric Residency, Dr. Whitner joined the then-Harvard Community Health Plan in 1990. He has assumed many roles over the years including managing Atrius Health’s new physician orientation program, chairing the organization’s quality committee, and leading many clinical initiatives.
Dr. Whitner has been an ardent activist in delivering high-quality integrated primary care, working closely with his colleagues at Boston Children’s Hospital for decades to ensure smooth transitions of care when his patients needed specialty consultations. Examples of his advocacy include teaching Atrius Health pediatric chiefs and clinicians to enhance concussion management by introducing ImPACT Testing into practice and how to safely but aggressively address chronic constipation in practice to avoid the need for specialty consultation.
More recently, Dr. Whitner participated in the conception and implementation of the Atrius Health Pediatric Complex Care Program, and his practice was one of the first to have an embedded care facilitator, a member of our care team who aids patients and families in accessing and navigating the healthcare system during and between medical visits. His medical assistant was hired in this role to coordinate the needs of complex patients and work with the primary care team to address the social barriers that impacted their health. Dr. Whitner also brought fluoride treatment into the standard work of his practice and has demonstrated how easily this oral health procedure can be added into the primary care setting.
Congratulations, Dr. Whitner, on this terrific achievement, and thank you for all you do to serve our patients with kindness and compassion every day.
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