2024 CAP Public Service Award

Established in Honor of Frank C. Coleman, MD, FCAP

Originally established in 1989 as the Frank C. Coleman Award for Public Service, this award honors the memory and work of the CAP’s sixth president. In 2006, the name of the award was changed to the CAP Public Service Award Established in Honor of Frank C. Coleman, MD, FCAP. The award is given to a CAP Fellow who best exemplifies the political, citizenship, and leadership qualities of the late Dr. Coleman and is the highest honor for outstanding accomplishments and dedication to political and civic life and to public service in the US. The CAP presents this award when merited, not necessarily on an annual basis.

David S. Wilkinson, MD, PhD, FCAP

The College of American Pathologists presents David S. Wilkinson, MD, PhD, FCAP, with the 2024 CAP Public Service Award in recognition of his long-standing commitment to public service and the practice of pathology.

Dr. Wilkinson chaired the pathology department at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia, from 1993–2013. During his tenure, he chaired the VCU Health System Managed Care and Contracting Committee, which oversees the contracting activities for medical services. He also served as director of both the Molecular Genetic Pathology Fellowship Program and the Pathology Training Program. As VCU’s pathology leader, Dr. Wilkinson actively promoted the importance of organized medicine, including CAP membership, to numerous trainees and faculty members.

Dr. Wilkinson currently serves on the CAP Economic Affairs Committee. He previously chaired the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies Coding and Reimbursement Committee, the CAP Quality Practices Committee, and the American Medical Association (AMA) Pathology Coding Caucus. He is past president of the Association of Pathology Chairs and past president of the Virginia Society of Pathology. In addition, he served as chief editor of the peer-review journal Clinical Laboratory Management Review from 1989 until 2004. Dr. Wilkinson has also been an active participant in the committees of the AMA, representing and advocating for the specialty of pathology.

Dr. Wilkinson is a professor emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.