Granted by the AMA board of trustees, this award honors a member of the AMA for meritorious service in the science and art of medicine.
Dr. Omalu, a Nigerian-American forensic pathologist, discovered CTE while working at the coroner’s office in Allegheny County in Pittsburgh in 2002. He recognized the brain abnormalities in several NFL players who evidenced personality changes or cognitive disorders before dying at an early age. He named the condition CTE, and described the abnormal accumulation of tau protein in the brains of these individuals.
When Dr. Omalu published the findings, the NFL and some physicians associated with the league attempted to discredit him and his research. Dr. Omalu defended his findings in the face of intense pressure. Now, CTE is widely accepted as a clinical entity, and Dr. Omlau’s work has been responsible for re-evaluation of rules and procedures in sports at all levels, particularly youth sports.
The story of his research, the pressure he faced, and his ability to bring awareness of CTE and brain trauma to the forefront of America’s most popular sports league was made into the 2015 film, “Concussion,” in which Dr. Omalu is portrayed by Will Smith.
A 20-year member of the AMA, Dr. Omalu attended medical school at the University of Nigeria at age 16. He became a U.S. citizen in February of 2015 and is now Chief Medical Examiner for the San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office in California and a clinical associate professor in the University of California, Davis, Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
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