Savannah, GA – The Southeastern Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SECSNMMI) will honor Jon A. Baldwin, DO, MBS with the presentation of the Marshall
Brucer Award, the highest honor the SECSNMMI can bestow upon a member. The Brucer Award will be presented to Dr. Baldwin at the 2022 SECSNMMI Annual Meeting, October 7-9, 2022 in Savannah Georgia, recognizing his many years of service to nuclear medicine as well as his leadership in organized nuclear medicine at the local, regional, chapter and national levels.
The Marshall Brucer Award is given at the Southeastern Chapter meeting to a chapter member who has dedicated their life to the specialty of nuclear medicine and given distinguished service to the chapter.
There are few people who, during a lifetime, make a substantial impact on a specialty in medicine. The Southeastern Chapter was fortunate to have had such a person amongst its members – Marshall Brucer.
He became the first chairman of the Medical Division of the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies in 1948. Brucer coined the term “nuclear medicine” and convinced the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission to allow use of radiotracers in medicine, as long as the physicians using the tracers were well trained (setting the groundwork for the residency structure in place today). He was an author, storyteller and educator, and almost single-handedly organized and formed the Southeastern Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. He served as the Chapter’s first president (1957-1959) and was the 5th president of the national society. The Marshall Brucer Award was created in his honor in 1991.
Dr. Baldwin is currently an Associate Professor for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine. After receiving his medical degree in 2000, he served his residency in Nuclear Medicine at UAB from 2001-2003 and then joined the staff as a nuclear medicine instructor. He was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2006 and Associate Professor in 2011. He also serves as attending nuclear medicine physician at the UAB’s Medical Center, the Birmingham VA. A strong believer in bringing on a new generation of young physicians, Dr. Baldwin repeatedly appears on the Top Ten Faculty Award list for Excellence in Resident Education which is awarded quarterly by the UAB Department of Radiology. He is the Program Director, Division of Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics Residency Program, Program Director, Division of Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics Fellowship Program and Associate Professor, Division of Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics. He is also active in nuclear medicine technologist education, serving as the Medical Director of the Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging Sciences Program at UAB.
After joining the Society of Nuclear Medicine and the Southeastern Chapter of the SNM in 2003, Dr. Baldwin became known as the man who will not say “no” when asked to serve. For the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Dr. Baldwin carried his enthusiasm for education to involvement with the Society’s Academic Council serving as a member, then Vice President and President. An avid supporter of nuclear medicine technologists, Dr. Baldwin was a member of the Advanced Associate Council Board of Directors and currently is serving as its President. He is currently a Consulting Editor for the Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology. He has served on the SNMMI’s Committee on Nominations, Committee on Membership, and Chair of the Committee on Councils and Centers. He has served on the SNMMI Board of Directors, and is currently the Vice Speaker of the House of Delegates.
For the Southeastern Chapter, Baldwin continued his support of residents and technologists, launching and coordinating the Oral Abstract and Poster Competition. He serves routinely as a resource for the program planning committees and was the chair in 2011. He served as Secretary of the Chapter for four years ending in 2016, then went on to the offices of Vice President and President.
Not forgetting where he lives and works, Dr. Baldwin served on the board of directors and rose through the officer positions for the Alabama Society of Nuclear Medicine. In continuing his support of technologists, Dr. Baldwin has been active with the Nuclear Medicine Technologist Certification Board serving as an exam writer, member of the Board of Directors, and working through all the officer positions, culminating his tenure as Chair from 2019 to 2021. In furtherance for his passion for education, from 2013 to 2021 he was a member of the Nuclear Medicine Resident Review Committee for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, for which he served as Chair from 2014 to 2018. He currently is serving on ACGME Board of Appeals.
On a personal note, Dr. Baldwin is grateful to his UAB and VA colleagues for their guidance and encouragement over the years. Only with their support has he been able to take part in all of the nuclear medicine adventures listed above. His wife’s love and patience for his work and travels has been a blessing. He stands on the shoulders of giants. In his off time, he enjoys traveling, nature and macro photography, and spending time with family. Even having had to deal with many hardships the past few years, he is still LIVING THE DREAM.
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