March 19, 1999

Thomas S. Durant, MD, assistant director of the MGH, recently received the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) at the organization's 71st annual dinner March 10 in Boston.

The NCCJ (formerly named the National Conference for Christians and Jews) honored Durant for his commitment to caring for others in the community, bridging differences between cultures and promoting the causes of social justice and peace.

Durant has worked at the MGH for more than 30 years, and his commitment to helping others extends across the globe. He served as chief public health adviser in Saigon, Vietnam from 1966 to 1968 and has helped refugees by volunteering in such regions as Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Recently, he went to Honduras with other clinicians in the Boston area to help victims of Hurricane Mitch.