Dec. 15, 2004 — University of Utah professor of internal medicine Jay A. Jacobson, M.D., received the American Medical Association’s (AMA) highest honor in medical ethics-the Isaac Hayes, MD, and John Bell, MD, Award for Leadership in Medical Ethics and Professionalism.

Jacobson, who established and leads the division of medical ethics at the U of U School of Medicine and LDS Hospital, will receive the award on Dec. 4 in Atlanta.

The award was established in 1997 to “promote and underscore the AMA’s continuing dedication to the principles of medical ethics and the highest standards of medical practice,” according to Michael D. Maves, M.D., MBA, executive vice president of the organization that represents thousands of U.S. physicians. The award is named after the co-authors of the AMA’s original code of ethics.

An infectious diseases specialist who joined the School of Medicine in 1978, Jacobson was Utah project director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Partnership to Improve End of Life Care. He also served on the AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs and currently serves on the American College of Physicians Ethics and Human Rights Committee.