Fellow physicians, nurses, hospital staff, family, friends and well-wishers turned out Saturday night to heap praise on Dr. Leighmin J. Lu, the 2000 Physician of the Year.
Lu, 66, has provided medical care on St. Thomas for almost 38 years and has been chief of psychiatry at Roy L. Schneider Hospital for 29 years.
The award was presented during the Annual Physician Award Gold and White Ball at the Palms Court Harborview Hotel and was sponsored by the Roy L. Schneider Hospital Medical Staff, The Virgin Islands Medical Society and the Virgin Islands Medical Institute.
A native of Taiwan, Lu came to St. Thomas in 1963 after obtaining his M.D. degree at the Medical School of National Taiwan University. He traveled to the mainland in 1967 to pursue training in psychiatry at Indiana State University Medical Center and completed his residency at the Boston State Hospital in Massachusetts.
Dr. Lu is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology and is an active member of both the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
He and his wife, Janet, are the parents of three sons, all of whom have pursued medical careers.
Among those praising Lu's years of service to the Virgin Islands community: RLS Hospital Chief Executive Officer Eugene Woods, Medical Director Thelma Ruth Watson, President of the V.I. Medical Society Dr. Frank Odlum and Dr. Cora Christian of the V.I. Medical Institute. Dr. Alfred O. Heath served as Master of Ceremonies.
Recently, Dr. Lu led the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Behavorial Health Unit at Schneider Hospital.
