Since 1972, the Chicago Booth School of Business Distinguished Alumni Awards have honored outstanding alumni achievements, and those who embody the school’s dedication to limitless inquiry and courageous leadership.
This week we’ll look at the winners of the 2014 Corporate Award, Entrepreneurial Award, Public Service Award, and Young Alumni Award that given out to four alumni who have made an impact across the business world. Last week you read about, George Conrades, winner of the Distinguished Corporate Award, Dhiraj Rajaram winner of the Distinguished Entrpreneurial Award, and Alfredo Moreno Charme. Today, you’ll meet Amy Lehman.
Amy Lehman, AB ’96, MBA ’05, MD ’05, left a promising career in surgery and concerned herself with the public-health crisis in regions of central Africa. Lehman currently is leading an initiative to bring medical care to the small, rural areas surrounding Lake Tanganyika, where frequent malaria outbreaks and lack of health care has led to infant mortality rates of more than 25-percent.
Lehman and her team have been providing direct medical treatment or necessary supplies to people in the area, and have helped around 300,000 people to date. However, Lehman believes the most effective way to expand access to health care for the remote communities like the one she is working with is through a floating clinic– a hospital ship that will travel to villages on the lake and spend several weeks in each location treating patients.
Lehman is currently raising funds to build the Lake Tanganyika Floating Clinic and has spent the last three years working with local officials, residents, and other aid organizations to hone in on best practices and make sure the clinic addresses long-term community needs.
