Turner Honored with Gertrude E. Rush Award
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Outreach, Inc. VP Dr. Deborah Ann Turner Honored with Gertrude E. Rush Award
Dr.Turner awarded the honor at the National Bar Association Gala in St. Louis, Missouri
DES MOINES, IA – Dr. Deborah Ann Turner of Des Moines, VP of International Programs for Outreach, Inc. was awarded the Gertrude E. Rush Award by the National Bar Association at a gala in St. Louis on Saturday, March 28, 2015. The award is a celebration of Gertrude Elzora Durden Rush (August 5, 1880 – September 5, 1962), the first African-American female lawyer in Iowa who was admitted to the Iowa bar in 1918 and also helped found the National Bar Association in 1925.
Dr. Turner said, “It was an honor to be awarded the Gertrude E. Rush Award by the National Bar Association. Courageous pioneers like Gertrude were an inspiration to me all through my career in medicine and then when I decided to go to Law School. Mrs. Rush embodies the qualities and virtues of the courage needed for all females to excel in their professional and personal life. It is humbling, yet exciting, to carry on the legacy left by such an influential force of history.”
Outreach founder Floyd Hammer said, “We are excited for Dr. Turner to win this prestigious award. We recently returned from Tanzania, East Africa on an Outreach Medical Mission lead by Dr. Turner and, once again, were able to watch her in action providing much needed help to some of the poorest people on earth. We have seen Dr. Turner win numerous awards, yet are amazed to watch her continued humility as her passion to provide medical care supersedes all that she does.”
Dr. Turner, a Gynecologic/Oncologist and surgeon is a native of Mason City, Iowa, was inducted in 2013 into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame. Dr. Turner was the first African-American woman to integrate a sorority at Iowa State University, be certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the specialty of gynecologic/oncology and be hired as a gynecological oncologist at the University of Nebraska, University of Iowa, and Medical College of Wisconsin. She is a graduate of Iowa State University, University of Iowa Medical College, and Drake University Law School.
