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MILTON, Mass. - Family Practitioner Carmel Kelly, M.D. has been selected by her peers to be the recipient of the 2007 Lira Family Award for Physician Excellence at Milton Hospital. Selected for her commitment to medicine and her involvement in hospital and community activities, Dr. Kelly was recognized during a Sunday service at the Parkway United Methodist Church in Milton on February 25. The Lira Family Award for Physician Excellence at Milton Hospital was established by the late Hugo "Baron" Lira in his last will and testament. He asked that the Parkway Church, of which he was a dedicated member, use a portion of his estate to annually recognize an outstanding Milton Hospital physician, and asked that the fund be memorialized in the name of the Lira family. The Baron built a strong relationship with hospital employees and medical staff members by contributing over 6,000 hours of volunteer work until his death in 1992. "Hugo Lira was a remarkable catalyst of good," said Milton Hospital Medical Staff President Mark Hodgman, M.D. "Dr. Kelly has a very similar type of energy." With an expertise in family medicine and a devotion to the Catholic faith, Dr. Kelly spends much of her time helping young people deal with difficult societal issues related to youth. She is currently organizing a fashion seminar for high school girls aimed at tackling the appearance-related pressures that many young women face. "The lives of young people are more psychologically difficult than they've been in a long time," she said. "Young people can lead very isolated lives, making it hard for them to enter into relationships." Dr. Kelly routinely brings teenagers on visits to sheltered people or to senior living facilities, a practice that she hopes will not only create more outgoing and caring individuals, but will also encourage teens to consider medical professions. "A profession of caring is a worthwhile profession," she said. In addition, Dr. Kelly teaches medical students from Tufts and Boston University Medical Schools, and often arranges for students to spend a day "shadowing" Milton Hospital nurses. A staff member at Milton Hospital since 1994, Dr. Kelly earned her medical degree from University College, Galway, Ireland. She served an internship at Mercer Hospital, Dublin, and later held a House Officer position in Oncology at St. Luke's Hospital, Dublin. Leaving Ireland for the U.S. in 1984, she served a residency at St. Joseph's Medical Center, Yonkers, NY in its Family Practice Program, where she was Chief Resident from 1986 through 1987. "Yonkers served a very diverse patient base, which I have always found fascinating," said Dr. Kelly, who speaks Spanish and some French in addition to English. Dr. Kelly currently runs a practice in Randolph, one of Massachusetts' most culturally diverse towns. "Doctors learn so much from their patients, and patients from different cultures often share interesting perspectives." Dr. Kelly credited Milton Hospital's warm, individualized care as a reason for her love for the hospital. "Caregivers at Milton Hospital develop personal relationships with patients that enable them to provide more compassionate care," she said. The patient-doctor relationship continues to play a major role in her love of medicine. "Illness constitutes a moment of crisis, when you can measure the greatness of a person," she said. |
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