Call for Nominations: Margret Zassenhaus Award

H. Margret Zassenhaus was was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1916.  She moved to Baltimore in 1952. She is best known for her work against the Nazis prior to and during World War II.  Her first act of defiance was as a schoolgirl when she refused to salute Hitler as ordered.   

During the years that followed the war, she earned a degree in Scandinavian languages while taking medical classes at the same time. After completing her studies, she was hired by the German Department of Justice to censor mail written by Jews in Polish ghettos to friends and relatives in Scandinavia.  She used this opportunity to pursue her work against the Nazis. Instead of deleting passages from the letters, she wrote messages in the margins asking for help and offering hope.

In 1952, Dr. Zassenhaus immigrated to Baltimore, where she served her internship and residency at City Hospital. She opened a medical office in 1954, practicing for many years before retiring.

She received the A. H. Robins Award for outstanding community service in 1986 from the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, and honorary degrees from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College), Goucher College, the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Washington College, Towson State University (now Towson University) and the University of Maryland, College Park.*

There is a plaque in her honor at the historic Zion Lutheran Church just across from City Hall in downtown Baltimore. 

On the occasion of Dr. Zassenhaus's death in 2004, MedChi and many of her friends created the Margret Zassenhaus Profile in Courage Award. MedChi is now soliciting nominations for this award, and the criteria are as follows:

1. To recognize actions related to exemplary conduct and improvement in health care delivery.
2. To recognize actions involving some risk to the physician’s professional or personal status for the good of patient care.
3. To recognize actions of social significance in keeping with the MedChi and AMA Principles of Medical Ethics.
4. The award should be given to a Maryland physician.

The nomination should meet the following requirements:

1. The nomination be made by a MedChi member.
2. The nomination should be accompanied by a letter of nomination stating how the actions of the nominee meet the criteria.
3. There be at least one additional letter of support from a Maryland physician stating how the nominee exemplifies the intent of the award.

In evaluating nominees, preference will be given to nominees who are MedChi members, nominees who were not compensated for the recognized activities, and for actions done in the state of Maryland. 

We ask that you keep in mind, especially at this time when people in medicine have been so heroic taking care of COVID patients, anyone who you would think would be worthy of the Zassenhaus Award. Please send nominations here.

*Maryland Women's Hall of Fame Biography