Alper Award Nominees

James Dorris, MD

On behalf of the Department of Emergency Medicine I am pleased to nominate Dr. James “Jake” Dorris for the Harold Alper Humanitarian Award for 2026. Dr. Dorris has exhibited character, compassion, and sensitivity to the medical needs of every patient that is fortunate to have him as their physician.

Actions always speak louder than words, and Dr. Dorris’s behavior through his training has proved that he is dedicated to improving patients’ lives. Dr. Dorris continually excels at his clinical practice of EM and strives to gain a broader foundation of knowledge to improve patient care. He also consistently delivers compassionate, high-quality patient care, and he is well respected by the nursing and ancillary staff in our ED. Dr. Dorris remains a shining example of professionalism despite the high-stress working conditions in the Emergency Department. His language is always kind, gentle, and comforting.

When considering Dr. Dorris it is his actions and priorities that truly set him apart from his peers. Despite the heavy demands of residency and the effort required to balance those demands with a family, Dr. Dorris has continually gone above and beyond to support his residency program. He has repeatedly put in extra time to replan schedules, fill unexpected scheduling holes, work an extra holiday or ensure that his colleagues have adequate family time. He has become one of the key figures for the EM residency when faculty or residents need help, and also serves on our Program Evaluation Committee. These are some of the factors that contributed to his selection for Chief Resident.

I would personally have Dr. Dorris care for my own family due to his compassion, medical knowledge, skill and patience.

We consider Dr. Dorris to be an outstanding candidate for the Alper Award, and I hope that the committee can join me in providing him with the credit he is due. Please feel free to contact me at any time should you need any further information. Sincerely, W. Douglas Gregorie, MD

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