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He’s been called a great doctor, a great humanitarian, an all-around great guy, and now you can officially call Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, Jr., a “Great Floridian.” But really, he simply likes to be called “Joe.”
On Tuesday, July 31, Governor Rick Scott visited FIU to personally honor “Joe” Greer as a member of the 2013 Class of Great Floridians, a prestigious group of men and women who have made significant contributions to the progress and prosperity of Florida. Only 81 individuals since 1981 have been given this distinct honor.
“I am honored to present Dr. Greer with the Great Floridian Award. Dr. Greer has worked selflessly his entire life to improve the quality of life for families throughout Florida. His determination deserves the respect and admiration of everyone in the Sunshine state. Today, we see homelessness in Florida down by 17.5 percent and that is because of the work of leaders like Dr. Greer who help Florida families get back on their feet,” said Governor Scott.
“I’ve simply done what my heart tells me to do,” said Greer, assistant dean for academic affairs and chair of the department of humanities, health, and society at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, upon receiving the award.
Those who know Greer will tell you it is a big heart that drives his unwavering commitment as an advocate for those without access to health care.
Greer, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist, was an intern at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1984 when the lonely death of a homeless man from tuberculosis changed his life. The budding doctor went looking for the man’s family, a search that led him to Camillus House, a homeless shelter where he soon set up a small walk-in clinic. Greer then set out to convince alcoholics, drug addicts, and others living on the streets to come in for treatment. In 1991, in response to the rise in the number of documented aliens in the Miami area, Greer founded the Saint John Bosco Clinic behind the Little Havana church by the same name.
“We at FIU are honored to be able to call Joe Greer a colleague and a friend, but more importantly, our students are extremely fortunate to have someone of Joe’s professional and personal caliber as a professor and a mentor,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg.
Greer came to FIU in 2007, joining the newly established Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine as Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, and helping to create the Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP™. The program sends interdisciplinary teams of FIU students (medical, nursing, social work, and law students) into communities of need to track and monitor the health of families throughout those students’ education.
“We created the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine with a commitment to community. Joe embodies that commitment in every way,” said Dr. John A. Rock, founding dean and senior vice president for health affairs. “We set out to train socially conscious, culturally sensitive, community based physicians. Those qualities are the very definition of Joe Greer.”
Greer’s work and dedication to healthcare, the homeless, and education, have won him numerous awards and recognitions. In 1994, TIME magazine named him one of “America’s 50 Young American Leaders Under 40”. The magazine Hippocrates: Health and Medicine for Physicians, named him its 1996 Doctor of the Year for Teaching. He has served as advisor to both the Clinton and Bush Sr. administrations, he has received three Papal medals, the MacArthur Genius Fellowship and the Presidential Service Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Definitely not your average “Joe.”
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