Southeast Health congratulates Amith Skandhan, MD, internal hospitalist, for recently receiving the prestigious “Most Engaged Chapter Leader” Award from the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM).

Dr. Skandhan joined the Southeast Health hospitalist group about 10 years ago and since then he has taken numerous leadership roles at the hospital and with the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM).

Dr. Skandhan co-founded the Wiregrass Chapter of SHM in 2014, which covers southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Under his leadership, the Wiregrass Chapter has won multiple awards, including the prestigious “Rising Star Chapter” in 2014 and the “Outstanding Chapter” Award in 2019.

Each year during the Annual Society of Hospital Medicine National Conference a chapter leader or district chair is recognized from the more than 70 chapters worldwide with the “Most Engaged Chapter Leader” Award for his or her dedication toward growing and sustaining his or her chapter while carrying out the mission of SHN.

During the last year, Dr. Skandhan organized a meeting with the chair of Health Policy at Alabama State University through the SHN platform. The meeting also included eight state legislators as they discussed the health challenges facing the residents of Alabama.

In addition, he established a weekly check in platform for hospital medicine leaders statewide to share information concerning rural medicine isolation from larger medical institutions. Finally, Dr. Skandhan held a virtual meeting with spiritual leaders from all faiths in the state to educate them on COVID-19. Since spiritual leaders are often turned to in a time of crisis, Dr. Skandhan wanted to make sure they were up to date on truths and myths about the potentially deadly virus.