Miriam Hospital Physicians Named "Public Health Heroes"

Posted Friday, December 21, 2012

Gary Bubly, MD

Josiah Rich, MD

Gary Bubly, MD, FACEP, director of the department of emergency medicine at The Miriam Hospital, and Josiah D. Rich, MD, MPH, an attending physician at The Miriam Hospital with expertise in infectious diseases and addiction, were designated as "Public Health Heroes" by the Association of State and Health Territorial Officials (ASTHO).

Bubly and Rich were nominated by the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) for this honor. Overall, only 41 physicians and researchers nationwide have been recognized for their public health service.

According to HEALTH, Bubly was nominated for his assistance in writing regulatory language regarding emergency dispensing of medications from emergency rooms. He has also been a driving force in developing Rhode Island's legislation on the state's new Prescription Monitoring Program, which allows for daily/real time reporting from pharmacies and web access for providers, so ER physicians can make sound decisions when writing prescriptions for controlled substances.

Rich was recognized for his work in advocating for health policy changes to improve the health of people with addiction, including improving legal access to sterile syringes and increasing drug treatment for the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated populations. He has also been instrumental in developing Project Bridge, an outreach and intensive case management program for HIV-positive ex-offenders moving back into the community, and serves as co-director of the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, based at The Miriam Hospital.

In addition to their clinical roles, Bubly is a clinical associate professor of emergency medicine and medicine at The Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, and Rich is professor of medicine and epidemiology at Alpert Medical School.

The United Health Foundation (UHF), with the help of ASTHO, has posted a list of public health heroes who serve as examples of the important work public health professionals carry out in our communities and across the United States. These individuals were included in press releases and announcements in coordination with the release of the 2012 edition of UHF's America's Health Rankings.

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