Print This Page Shepherd Center Founders Earn National Public Service Award from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Comprised of more than 7,500 members, the AAPM&R is the nation’s premier medical organization for rehabilitation physicians. The AAPM&R presents the Distinguished Public Service Award annually to individuals who have made a significant impact in the rehabilitation field. This year’s award honors the Shepherds for their work and leadership at Shepherd Center during the past 32 years, as well as their advocacy efforts for all people with disabilities. “While we are grateful to be recognized at this level, the real honor belongs to our entire staff for their tremendous accomplishments and dedicated service,” said James Shepherd, chairman of Shepherd Center. “Working together to help those with disabilities is the most important reward we experience every day.” “The Shepherds define what it means to be true public servants, and this award distinguishes them as role models in our community and across the country,” said Donald Peck Leslie, M.D., medical director of Shepherd Center. “They turned a personal experience into a world-class facility that has served countless others and provided a much-needed level of care.” The Shepherds founded Shepherd Center in Atlanta in 1975. After James Shepherd suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury in a 1973 diving accident, the Shepherd family became frustrated by the lack of rehabilitation hospitals in the Atlanta area at that time. James traveled to Colorado for treatment, and after returning home, he and his parents began plans to establish the first rehabilitation treatment facility in the Southeast. Today, Shepherd Center is the country’s largest catastrophic care hospital specializing in the treatment of people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular disorders and urological problems. The 100-bed not-for-profit hospital consistently ranks among the nation’s top rehabilitation hospitals in U. S. News and World Report surveys. The 2007 Distinguished Public Service Award will be presented during the AAPM&R’s 68th annual meeting on Sept. 29 in Boston. Previous honorees include Senators Edward Kennedy, Bob Dole and Orrin Hatch, as well as Jerry Lewis and the late Dana Reeve.
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