Psychiatry Leader Munetz, LeBron James Foundation Honored by Peg’s Foundation

Surrounded by family, friends and colleagues, Mark Munetz, M.D., The Margaret Clark Morgan Endowed Chair and Professor of Psychiatry, was honored with the Compass Award at the 10th annual Peg’s Foundation Impact Awards, held Thursday, Nov. 14, in the Grand Ballroom of the NEOMED Education and Wellness (NEW) Center.

Peg’s Foundation President Rick Kellar presented the Compass Award to Dr. Munetz for his achievements as a leader. The evening’s program book noted that “his lifetime dedication to improving the lives of people living with serious mental illness exemplifies the commitment and action needed to care for the most vulnerable people among us.”

Akron, Ohio’s LeBron James Family Foundation; Northeast Ohio’s Grammy Award-winning baroque music ensemble Apollo’s Fire; and Michael Bullock, executive director of Tarry House in Akron, were also honored.

Dr. Munetz oversees three centers at NEOMED: the Best Practices in Schizophrenia Treatment (BeST) Center, the Ohio Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence, the Ohio Program for Campus Safety and Mental Health.

In all of his work to help people with serious mental illness and improve the systems that serve them, it’s a team effort, said Dr. Munetz in his heartfelt remarks. Dr. Munetz beamed from the podium as he acknowledged his colleagues and his wife, fellow psychiatrist Lois Freedman, M.D.

2019 Impact Awards Recipients

Nearly 450 people attended this year’s dinner and awards ceremony by Hudson-based Peg’s Foundation, whose mission is to improve the lives of people with serious mental illness by investing in innovative projects in Northeast Ohio having national transformative impact.

Peg’s Foundation has given a total of more than $20 million in grants to NEOMED to advance Department of Psychiatry initiatives.

2019 Peg’s Foundation Impact Awards

• Mark Munetz, M.D. – Compass Award
• APOLLO’S FIRE Baroque Orchestra – Excellence in the Arts
• Michael S. Bullock, Tarry House, Inc. – Making a Difference
• The LeBron James Family Foundation – Excellence in Fulfilling Promises

 

Watch a video about Dr. Munetz

Photo: Mark Munetz, left, and Peg’s Foundation President Rick Kellar