SLUCare Surgeon Honored for Service

07/08/2021

The Empowerment Network presented Sameer Siddiqui, M.D., a SLUCare urologic surgeon and the C. Rollins Hanlon Endowed Chair of Surgery, with its Blue Diamond Award for his work with the organization.

The award is given annually to a member of board or a survivor who has gone above expectations to help The Empowerment Network, a grass roots organization that supports underserved men and their families who are impacted by prostate cancer.

Siddiqui joined the board of The Empowerment Network in 2012. SLUCare physicians Zachary Hamilton, M.D., and John Dombrowski, M.D., Ph.D., also currently serve as board members.

Earlier this year, board members were challenged to help The Empowerment Network reach its fundraising goals on Give STL Day. Siddiqui led the charge and was responsible for the largest share of donations solicited by board members.

“We are thankful for their service and we are thankful for everyone at SLU,” said Mellve Shahid, CEO of The Empowerment Network. “The University has been a great community partner – from the School of Medicine to the School for Public Health and Social Justice to the Cancer Center, the University has been a great friend and help to us.”

Saint Louis University has partnered with The Empowerment Network since its founding in 2008.

In 2016, The Empowerment Network honored Philip Alderson, M.D., the outgoing dean of the school of medicine and vice president for medical affairs with its Wind Beneath Our Wings award. Shahid noted at the time that during Alderson’s tenure as dean the School of Medicine had received a five-year grant to partner with established advocacy organizations to fight cancer in minorities. Through the grant, The Empowerment Network expanded prostate cancer screenings and took its message of early detection and community education to the radio airwaves.

SLUCare Physician Group

SLUCare Physician Group is the academic medical practice of Saint Louis University, with more than 500 health care providers and 1,200 staff members in hospitals and medical offices throughout the St. Louis region. SLUCare physicians are among the most highly trained in their fields – more than 50 specialties in all – and are national and international experts, renowned for research and innovations in medicine. For more information, visit us at www.slucare.com.