Paul B. Roth, chancellor for health sciences at the UNM, has received the 2015 Clinton P. Anderson Award from the American Lung Association in New Mexico.
Roth, who is also CEO of the UNM Health System and dean of the UNM School of Medicine, is America’s longest-serving medical school dean and a nationally respected leader in medical education, according to a UNM HSC press release.
“This award commemorates New Mexicans who have made real contributions to the health and well-being of our residents,” Duane Ross, chair of the American Lung Association’s state board of directors, said in the statement. “Paul Roth has advocated for broader access to quality health care throughout his long career.”
The award is named for Clinton P. Anderson, the state’s longtime U.S. senator, congressman and former Agriculture Secretary in President Harry Truman’s administration. A South Dakota native, Anderson first came to New Mexico in 1917 to recover from tuberculosis, according to the statement.
“Roth, who came to UNM as a medical resident in 1976, helped found the School of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine and is credited with starting one of the first urgent care programs in the country,” according to the press release.
According to stc.unm.ed, Roth led emergency medical teams following the 9/11 attacks in New York. The same squad assisted in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000.
He has held a variety of positions at UNM, including his current position a chancellor, chair of the department of emergency medicine, director of ambulatory care programs and chief medical officer.
