Sherman Alter, MD, honored with advocacy award from Ohio AAP

Congratulations to Sherman Alter, MD, chief, division of infectious disease at Dayton Children's Hospital, who received the William Cotton, MD, FAAP, Pediatrician Advocate Award at the Ohio American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting on September 21, 2018, in Dublin, Ohio.

This award was established to honor pediatricians who work hard toward improving the health and safety of Ohio’s children and adolescents. Dr. Alter earned this honor for his outstanding leadership and help in advocacy efforts at the Ohio AAP, especially his tireless commitment to increasing immunization rates in Ohio.

Dr. Alter is often called to share his expertise with Ohio lawmakers on vaccines and immunization policies. It was his voice that convinced Ohio legislators to adopt a requirement for the chicken pox vaccine for school in 2006. He recently testified on the need for all health care workers to have mandatory flu vaccines. Just last year, along with Dayton Children’s Pediatrics, he received the pediatric and adolescent excellence award from the Ohio Department of Health for surpassing state goals in immunization rates in 7 vaccines for kids under 2 years old and the HPV vaccine in adolescents.

At the same time he is a clinical professor of pediatrics at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, director of continuing medical education at the hospital and leads the antibiotic stewardship team as well as several research projects at Wright State.

He received the Martha N. Franz Award for teaching excellence, department of pediatrics in 2008 and 2012.  He was also honored with the Wallace B. Taggart award in 2015 for his efforts to improve the lives of children and his commitment to medical education.  It’s the hospital’s highest physician honor, given to those who live up to the standards set by its namesake, an original founder of the hospital.