Sacramento ophthalmologist Barbara Arnold, M.D., was awarded the California Medical Association's (CMA) first Compassionate Service Award at the association's annual House of Delegates meeting in Anaheim. The award honors the California physician who best illustrates the association’s commitment to community and charity care.

In addition to being a skilled and compassionate physician, Dr. Arnold is a gifted artist who teaches art classes for visually impaired and legally blind individuals through the Crocker Art Museum. Since the program’s inception in 2012, her efforts have helped visually impaired individuals develop creative and meaningful hobbies with rewards far beyond the students’ hopes and expectations. Currently, there is a waiting list for Dr. Arnold’s classes. Many of her students come from out of the Sacramento area, some traveling with their guide dogs via Amtrak to take her classes.

Dr. Arnold has been teaching ophthalmology to residents at the University of California Davis Eye Center for more than 20 years. She is an Emeritus Chair in the UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology and was the department chair for 26 years.

Learn more about Dr. Arnold by viewing the award video on CMA's YouTube page, www.youtube.com/cmaphysicians.