Home / About Us / Press Room / Four Physicians, Commissioner and Mental Health Advocacy Group Honored by Minnesota Medical Association

Four Physicians, Commissioner and Mental Health Advocacy Group Honored by Minnesota Medical Association

September 28, 2021

Four physicians, the state’s health commissioner and NAMI Minnesota were honored with MMA awards as part of this year’s virtual Annual Conference. Each year, the MMA honors those in medicine for going above and beyond.

Distinguished Service Award
Kathryn Lombardo, MD, received the MMA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, for her years of service to the association and to medicine.  Lombardo, a psychiatrist, has been a member of the association for 30 years, served as an AMA alternate delegate for the MMA, served on the state’s Board of Medical Practice, and was also the president of Olmsted Medical Center.

President’s Award
Jill Amsberry, DO, and Nathan Chomilo, MD, received the MMA’s President’s Award, which recognizes those who have given much of their free time to help improve the association.

Amsberry, a pediatrician, has been a member of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Advisory Group. She also serves as the medical director of the Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic at CentraCare and is a faculty member for the University of Minnesota St. Cloud Family Medicine Residency.

Chomilo is currently the medical director for Medicaid & MinnesotaCare with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. He is a pediatrician, internist, and founding member of Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity, a statewide coalition of physicians, and serves on the board of directors for Reach Out and Read, Minnesota.

COPIC/MMA Foundation Humanitarian Award
Matt Bernard, MD, received the COPIC/MMA Foundation Humanitarian Award which recognizes MMA members who go above and beyond to address the health care needs of underserved populations in Minnesota. Bernard is a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic and the co-founder and medical director of The Center Clinic in Dodge Center. The Center Clinic provides primary care, family planning, counseling, and education to uninsured and underinsured people in rural Dodge and Steele counties.

James H. Sova Memorial Award for Advocacy  
Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm received the James H. Sova Memorial Award for Advocacy. Sova was the chief lobbyist for the MMA from 1968 until the time of his death in December 1981. This award is given to a person who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of public policy, medical sciences, medical education, medical care or the socioeconomics of medical practice.  

Eric C. Dick Memorial Health Policy Partner Award
This new award is given to an individual, group of individuals, a project or an organization that demonstrates their commitment to pursuing sound public policy, building coalitions, creating and/or strengthening partnerships with the goal of improving the health of Minnesotans or the practice of medicine in Minnesota. Dick was the MMA's manager of state legislative affairs from 2010 until his untimely death in January 2021. This year’s recipient is Minnesota’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

About the Minnesota Medical Association
The Minnesota Medical Association is a non-profit professional association representing physicians, residents and medical students. With more than 11,000 members, the MMA is dedicated to being the indispensable and unified voice of physicians for advancing the practice of medicine, the profession and patient health. 

More Publications

Latest Press Releases

Minnesota Physicians Focus on Five Priorities for Legislative Session

February 11, 2026

The state’s largest advocacy group for Minnesota physicians and physicians-in-training will advocate for five key legislative priorities at the Capitol this session, which begins February 17. The group will hold its annual Physicians’ Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 4, bringing together physicians and physicians-in-training from across the state to meet with their elected officials.

“Dozens of healthcare-related bills go through the Capitol each session,” said Lisa Mattson, MD, the Minnesota Medical Association’s (MMA) president. “But to make an impact for patients and medical practice in Minnesota, we really need to focus our efforts on a few top issues.”

Minnesota Physicians Urge Congressional Delegation to Restrict ICE, CBP Activities in Healthcare Facilities and Other Sensitive Locations, and to Ensure Access to Medical Care at Detention Facilities

February 6, 2026

On February 5, the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA), along with several other physician advocacy groups, sent a letter to the Minnesota Congressional Delegation urging Congress, as a condition of ongoing funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to restrict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activities in or near healthcare facilities and other sensitive locations, and to hold DHS accountable for ensuring that detainees are provided with appropriate medical care, food, water, and other basic human needs.

MMA statement on CDC’s revision to childhood vaccine schedule

January 5, 2026

The Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) is deeply concerned with the recent decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise the childhood vaccine schedule. The changes add unnecessary confusion and uncertainty around vaccines that have been shown to be both safe and effective. Minnesota law continues to require evidence-based vaccinations for childcare and school attendance. The MMA urges parents and families to talk directly with their physicians about the critical role that childhood vaccines play in preventing serious disease and death, and in protecting the most vulnerable members or our communities.