KNOXVILLE, TN, February 28, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- John "Jack" W. Lacey III, MD, has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Supported by four decades of professional excellence, Dr. Lacey flourished as a practicing general internist from 1977-2016. In 1991, he served as chief of staff and subsequently the inaugural senior VP and Chief Medical Officer of the University of Tennessee Medical Center from 1999-2016. With this foundation, Dr. Lacey was instrumental in creating and subsequently leading Knoxville Area Project Access (KAPA), a partnership of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine, area physicians, hospitals, and clinics from 2005–present. Under Dr. Lacey's leadership as medical director, KAPA has provided more than $350 million in donated health care services to address barriers to good health care outcomes for uninsured poor. Based on his professional excellence and broad healthcare experience, Dr. Lacey was selected to develop and chair the Governor's Taskforce for Health and Wellness for Tennessee. He led this effort to improve the health and wellbeing of all Tennesseans from 2011-2013.
Dr. Lacey served as the medical director of the University of Tennessee Health Plan, Inc. from 1993-1995 and as the medical director, board member, and subsequently as board chair of the Tennessee Health Partnership HMO during 1995-2000. He also served as a board member of the University Physicians Association IPA being recognized for service and dedication as a founding board member in 2003.
Dr. Lacey's professional affiliations have included the Knoxville Academy of Medicine of which he was president in 1995 and board member for more than two decades, the Tennessee Medical Association including the Judicial Council 2018-present, and the AMA. As part of giving back through professional activities, Dr. Lacey chaired the East Tennessee Quality Alliance from 2004-2010 which addressed health care concerns ranging from ventilator associated pneumonia to end of life care directives. He has also served as a board member of the Knox County Health Department from 1995-present.
Civically minded engagements include the Board of Leadership Knoxville, the Community Violence Prevention Task Force, the Monday Foundation Board, the Tennessee Chapter of the National Kidney Foundation as board member and walk chair, United Way of Greater Knoxville as Board member and in 2015 as the UWGK campaign co-chair raising more than $13 million, Grace Presbyterian Church Knoxville as an elder, and the Boy Scouts of America. Dr. Lacey is an Eagle Scout and was honored with life-long friend Bob Monday with the naming of the 2017 Great Smoky Mountain Council Eagle Scout Class as the "Lacey and Monday" class.
Academically, Dr. Lacey has served as an assistant professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine from which he received the Special Award in Recognition of Leadership and Service (1996) and the Outstanding Alumnus Award of the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in 2015. Dr Lacey received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Tennessee in 1973. This was preceded by a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering in 1970 and was awarded an Atomic Energy Commission fellowship. Among his presentations and publications, Dr. Lacey co-authored an op-ed titled "Reading, Writing, Arithmetic…and Tennesseans' Health" which appeared in the Tennessee Medical Journal in 2018 and focused on one of his passions- advancing health literacy in children.
Dr. Lacey continues as medical director of KAPA. He serves on the board of Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., and the board of Home Federal Bank of Tennessee.
As a testament to his success and longevity in the medical field and his contributions to his community and state, Dr. Lacey received Tennessee's Outstanding Achievement Award from Governor McWherter in 1991, Tennessee colonel status from Governor Sundquist in 1997, the Tennessee Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service to the Governor's Health and Wellness Task Force for Tennessee in 2013 from Governor Haslam, United Way of Greater Knoxville Volunteer of the Year in 2008, Knoxville Business Journal Health Care Hero Award in 2009, Tennessee Medical Association Physician of the Year 2011, Commissioner of Health Award for Outstanding Service to Population Health in Tennessee in 2013, Tennessee Hospital Association Meritorious Award in 2015 and the Tennessee Medical Association Distinguished Service Award in 2017. In 2010, the State of Tennessee House of Representatives with the Tennessee Senate concurring recognized Dr. Lacey's contributions in the field of medicine in a Joint Resolution. In a 2016 Joint Resolution, the Senate of the 109th General Assembly of the State of Tennessee resolved with the House of Representatives concurring "that we congratulate and thank John W. Lacey III MD, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the practice of medicine, his care for his patients, and his record of volunteer and community service."
While grounded in engineering and medical science, Dr. Lacey's guiding principles focus on faith and people with a heart to help. "All of our lives are diminished when anyone among us is left behind or left unforgiven." "Bringing people of good intent but different beliefs, knowledge, and experiences to the table is the only way of making the way things are better." "Learning something new together is the beginning of "team". "The keys to solving challenging problems and to seizing meaningful opportunities are the same; first seek the truth of God and then commit to eschew the treachery of hubris by embracing the reality that there will always be much you do not know about the problem much less its solution." "We almost never accomplish anything on our own except the impact -positive or negative- we have on those we need the most."
Dr. Lacey gratefully attributes any success or attainments to the guidance, love and support from his parents, his wife Sylvia, his children Jennifer Lacey, John W. Lacey IV, and James Thomas Kirkpatrick; friends, colleagues and other mentors; patients; and especially to God's unearnable grace. His special focus going forward will be his grandchildren: Campbell, Liam, Ryn, Allison, Thomas and Katy.
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