Hyannis physician Gary E. Tratt, M.D. is honored by the Massachusetts Medical Society with its Special Award for Excellence in Medical Service

Waltham, Mass. – April 8  – Hyannis physician Gary E. Tratt, M.D., a primary care physician who has served patients on Cape Cod for more than four decades, has been honored by the Massachusetts Medical Society as the 2014 recipient of the Society’s Special Award for Excellence in Medical Service

The award honors a physician who has provided exceptional care and dedication to the medical needs of his or her patients and the general public. He will receive the honor, one of the most prestigious presented by the Society to its members, at the Society’s annual meeting in Boston May 16.  

In nominating him for the award, his colleagues described Dr. Tratt as “a true mentor, leader, and shining example of a lifelong primary care provider in the Cape Cod community” and noted his “consistent outreach within his peer group and readiness to assist others with medical knowledge, frank counsel, and open heart.”

A 1962 graduate of Boston College, Dr. Tratt earned his medical degree from the Tufts University School of Medicine in 1966. He completed internship and residency programs at Buffalo General Hospital and University Hospital in Boston and a Fellowship in infectious disease at New England Medical Center. Following two years of service in the U.S. Air Force as Chief of Medicine at Plattsburgh (New York) Air Force Base Hospital, he began practicing on Cape Cod in 1972. He is board certified in internal medicine, and was elected a Fellow of the American College of Physicians in 1998.

He has held several appointments at Cape Cod Hospital, including Chief of the Department of Medicine and Chairman of the Infection Control Committee, the Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Committee, and the Institution Review Committee.

Besides his clinical duties, Dr. Tratt is a member of the Board of Directors of the Cape Cod section of the New England Quality Care Alliance, a network of physicians that provides high-quality and affordable health care and expands the teaching and research mission of Tufts Medical Center. From 1975-2004, he served as a Clinical Instructor at Yale University School of Medicine, which honored him with its Best Teacher Award in 1977. He has been a Clinical Instructor at Tufts University School of Medicine since 1975.

Active in the community on Cape Cod, Dr. Tratt has served as President of the Cape and Islands Division of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Heart Association, as President of Cape Cod Synagogue, and Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Cape Cod. 

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 24,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and NEJM Journal Watch alerts and publications covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education for health care professionals throughout Massachusetts, conducting a variety of medical education programs for physicians and health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country.