June 2, 2017

OHSU School of Medicine Interim Dean John Hunter, M.D., F.A.C.S., presented Paul Flint, M.D., the 2017 Dean's Award during the OHSU Clinical Mission Strategy and Culture Retreat June 2, at once honoring Dr. Flint for his service and paying tribute to the late Dean Mark Richardson.

"It is my belief that Paul would have received this award years earlier but, as one of Mark Richardson's best friends, it may have seemed like a conflict," said Dr. Hunter, drawing a chuckle from the gathering of 200 physicians, university and hospital leaders at the Downtown Marriott. "Indeed, Paul and Mark were not just friends. Their careers were intertwined from coast to coast and back again."

The Dean's Award is among the highest honors bestowed in the OHSU School of Medicine. It recognizes an individual who has shown commitment to the school through their volunteerism, teaching and/or philanthropic support.

Last year, Dr. Richardson chose Fritz Fraunfelder, M.D., professor emeritus of ophthalmology, OHSU School of Medicine, and founder of the Casey Eye Institute, for the honor. Sharon Anderson, M.D., professor and chair of medicine and incoming dean of the school, received the Dean's Award twice, once from Dean Joseph Bloom and once from Dean Richardson.

Dr. Flint, professor and chair of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, OHSU School of Medicine, received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and did his residency training at University of Washington, where Dr. Richardson became his first otolaryngology attending. The two went on to overlap at Johns Hopkins. As dean in 2009, Dr. Richardson recruited Dr. Flint to lead the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Flint quickly stepped up to serve in the organizations that shape and govern clinical practice at OHSU. He chaired the search committee that brought Sancy Leachman, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of dermatology, and the John D. Gray Chair in Melanoma Research, to OHSU in 2012. He chaired the Quality Safety Executive Council and serves on the OPP Management Committee. After serving a two-year term as president of the Professional Board, he will soon hand the baton to Renee Edwards, M.D., M.B.A., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and co-director, Center for Women's Health.

"Paul has also always been a forceful leader," Dr. Hunter said. "He cuts to the chase. When he speaks up, it's because he has something to say. And we listen. We listen because we know that he not only speaks from experience but because he cares about us making the right decision."

Dr. Hunter also credited Dr. Flint's compassion after Dr. Richardson's accident last August, stepping up to support Ellen Richardson and their daughters as well as colleagues who were reeling from the loss.

"It felt right to me to present this award to Paul at this time," Dr. Hunter said, "not only as a way of doing something that Mark would have appreciated, but because I think Paul is an example of the kind of leadership we need now as we fully embark on clinical integration—leadership drawn from experience, compassion and a deep knowledge of what makes a complex clinical operation hum."

Dr. Flint, beaming and clearly touched, seized the moment to praise the colleagues and institution that have become his home.

"I could not see myself working any other place," he said.