Medical student Clay Hartley, left, was presented the Hospital Authority of Colquitt County’s 2013 Trustee Scholarship. The award was named in honor of former Hospital Authority Trustee Durwood Dominy, center. The awards were presented by Hospital Authority Chairman Kirk Friedlander, right.

The Colquitt County Hospital Authority recently awarded its annual Trustee Scholarship to William Clayton Hartley, a Moultrie resident who is currently in medical school.

Each year, the Hospital Authority recognizes a student pursuing a medical career who exemplifies outstanding academic skills and a commitment to helping others. The $5,000 scholarship was presented to Hartley at a luncheon held at Colquitt Regional Medical Center.

Hartley graduated with honors from Colquitt County High School in 2007. He then went on to the University of Georgia, graduating Cum Laude with Honors from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in the spring of 2011 with a B.S. degree in biological science and a minor in agribusiness.

During his college years, Hartley shadowed doctors in Moultrie, furthering his desire to make medicine a life-long career.

Currently, Harley is a member of the second class of students to attend the medical partnership between the University of Georgia and Georgia Regents University. This July he returned to the Moultrie area, starting a two-year rotation at the Southwest Clinical Campus in Albany.

The scholarship was presented to Hartley by Hospital Authority Chairman Kirk Friedlander.

“We are proud of Clay’s hard work and determination in pursuing a career in the medical field, and we hope he will come back to our community to practice medicine when he completes his medical training,” Friedlander stated.

Hartley says his primary goal is to complete his Doctor of Medicine degree by May 2015, then ultimately match into a residency program to further his knowledge and eventually return to Southwest Georgia.

The Trustee Scholarship has been awarded to people who are dedicated to the healthcare profession since 1983. The first recipient, Alicia Kent Horkan, has been employed with Colquitt Regional Medical Center for 20 years and she currently works in the Dialysis Center.

The scholarship is presented in honor of someone who is considered an icon in the medical community. This year, the scholarship was presented in honor of Durwood Dominy, former trustee of the Hospital Authority.

Dominy joined the Hospital Authority in 1991. During his 19-year tenure, he was elected chairman of the board twice, holding that position for a total of five years. He also held the positions of Finance Committee chairman for two years and Quality Assurance chairman for three years.

During Dominy’s tenure, Colquitt Regional recruited 76 physicians to the community. He was appointed to the Colquitt Regional Medical Center LLC’s not-for-profit board owned by the Hospital Authority, overseeing all of the physician clinics owned, operated and managed by Colquitt Regional.

Dominy was elected to the Board of Directors of the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) in 2006 and was recognized by the GHA in 2007 with the GHA Leadership Award. He was appointed in 2011 as Regional Trustee Liaison to the American Hospital Association (AHA) Regional Policy Board 4.

Dominy is a long-time resident of Colquitt County and is known as “The Voice” of the Colquitt County Packers.

“We are pleased to honor Mr. Dominy for his dedication and commitment to our medical community and the citizens of Colquitt County throughout the years,” said Jim Matney, president and CEO of Colquitt Regional. “Durwood is most deserving of this honor.”