Butte County family medicine physician Dannielle Harwood, M.D., has received the California Medical Association (CMA) Gary S. Nye Award for Physician Health and Well-Being.

The award, which honors a CMA member who has made significant contributions toward improving physician health and wellness, was announced today at the 2022 CMA House of Delegates in Los Angeles. 

Dr. Harwood was recognized for her commitment to and passion for helping fellow and future physicians find success, fulfillment, happiness and well-being in pursuit of their noble profession. Most notably, she has gone above and beyond to uplift a community devastated by the Camp Fire tragedy and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After the devastation of the Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history, and the most expensive natural disaster in the world displacing more than 45,000 people, Dr. Harwood became increasingly more active in the Butte-Glenn Medical Society. 

BGMS sponsored Dr. Harwood's enrollment in the UC Davis Physician Wellness fellowship in 2020, ultimately being named the BGMS’s first Chief Wellness Officer.

In that role, she has stepped up to lead programs that are essential for the wellness of Butte-Glenn Medical Society members and staff, as well as the medical community at large. 

“[These programs are] the backbone of Butte-Glenn Medical Society's efforts to heal our community and sustain us through the pandemic and even more devastating fires that continue to plague Butte-Glenn areas,” says Kristy Bird MaKieve, BGMS Executive Director.

Dr. Harwood’s initiative and passion are admirable as she mentors female physicians and is committed to improving the wellness of her physician colleagues and bringing back the joy of medicine.