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Jack Fong, MD Pediatrician, Chairman
Department of Pediatrics, Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT
Click on email address to send a message:
DrJack@healtheclinic.org
This biographical information adapted from
an article appearing in the Fairfield County Medical Association
News Capsule June 2005
With two sons who have gone on to become doctors
themselves and a third who is an accomplished musician, Dr. Jack
Fong has a lot to be proud of. No more proud, however than of
his own contributions to the community he touches every day in
Danbury. And yet, he remains a humble man.
Dr. Fong is the chairman of the Department of Pediatrics
at Danbury Hospital and a long-time child advocate. The energy,
commitment and optimism he brings to every endeavor place him
in a class of physicians all can admire. As he puts it, he is
always in the trenches - in the foxhole - looking after the needs
of his patients and the community-at-large.
Born a British subject, Jack was raised to college
age in Hong Kong. Family ties took him to McGill University in
Montreal, Quebec for his undergraduate sturdy and medical school.
Following an internship and residency at the University of Minnesota
Hospitals in Minneapolis, and a brief
but valuable experience with a doctor there who taught him the
value of starting hospital rounds at 5 a.m., Dr. Fong returned
to McGill. Following several years of teaching and practicing
medicine in a large academic institution, he cam to realize his
talents might be optimized in a community hospital and found such
an opportunity in Danbury in 1985.
Apparently he was right - his involvement at the
hospital level and in the general community is seemingly limitless.
His devotion to serving patients, especially children, is inspiring.
He says, "Knowledge is the first step. How that translated
into action is up to the individual."
For starters, beyond the typical demands he faces
as the department chair at Danbury Hospital, he has maintained
a rigorous schedule of pediatric conferences that typically attract
greater than 200 participants and who come from all walks of life.
in May alone, he ran nine separate events, including the Seventh
Annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference, a day-long affair\,,
the impact of which continues to gain momentum each year. In addition,
Dr. Fong operates a
hospital-based private practice in primary care pediatrics and
consulting immunology with patients who range up in age to 60
years old.
The doctor's role as attending physician two half-days
a week at "Green Chimneys", a residential treatment
center for children with psychological problems in Brewster, New
York, is very special to him. For the past ten years, Dr. Fong
has taken care of these traumatized children in a "farm"
facility that utilizes farm animals as a medium of therapy - teaching
them responsibility and giving them a purpose through hobs they
perform.
Dr. Fong is also passionate when he talks about
Dream Come True of Western Connecticut,
an organization whose mission it is to fulfill the dreams of children
with chronic, debilitating or fatal illness. Serving currently
as a board member after acting as medical advisor to the organization
for nearly 15 years, he says the group shows "the community
really cares." Beyond realizing the wishes of afflicted children,
Dream Come True runs special
events throughout the year such as an annual summer picnic and
breakfast with Santa. This past March, Dr. Fong became the first
ever Honoree at the Dream Come True annual gala. His response?
"Humbling."
 Given
such a strong predilection toward nurturing children through guidance
rather than control, Dr. Fong's involvement in Media
Literacy is easily understood. As an active participant
in a coalition that seeks to educate consumers - parents and children
- how to read the real message presented in the media, he successfully
got a grant to bring an expert to the Danbury area to s peak in
the middle and high schools about what the media is selling. His
continued participation in annual conferences will most certainly
bring further benefit to the Danbury community.
The doctor's vision for the community is further exemplified
by his volunteering with Wellness on
Wheels. "We have to beat the bushes and go look for
these patients," says Dr. Fong. He testifies to the large
role Wellness on Wheels plays
in breaking down the barriers of access to health care, reducing
inappropriate use of the ED, increasing the physical activity
levels of school children by making available the necessary physicals,
and truly practicing preventative medicine. At Western Connecticut
State University's commencement on May 2, 2005, Dr. Fong was given
the President's Medal, The honor is in part a tribute to his dedication
to teaching nursing students, involving Green
Chimneys as part of the nursing program and his status
as the only "outside' member on the Institution Review Board
of the University. Again, "humbling."
"Pediatrics at Danbury Hospital is second to none,"
brags Dr. Fong. His focus and drive are best summarized by his
core belief that "overall wellness is much more than good
doctors, good nurses and the money needed to pay for medical care.
The safety network, the caring has to be nurtured in partnership
with the community as a whole."
And word is he's an awesome pastry chef!
For more biographical information about Dr. Fong, please click
here.
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