Dr. Smucker will be honored posthumously with the 2024 Distinguished Physician Award, Summa Health’s highest physician honor

William D. Smucker, M.D., a respected leader, educator and compassionate caregiver in the field of family medicine, will be honored posthumously with the 2024 Summa Health Distinguished Physician Award, the health system’s highest physician honor. 

This prestigious award is presented to a physician who exemplifies the mission and values of Summa Health, demonstrates outstanding leadership and dedication and acts as a role model professionally and personally to their community. The honoree also is recognized for their clinical excellence and leadership in research and training and demonstrates a personal commitment to advancing philanthropy at Summa Health.

A revered figure in the medical community, Dr. Smucker is celebrated for his unwavering commitment to clinical excellence, leadership in research and training, and his enduring dedication to philanthropy at Summa Health. His notable contributions, particularly his vision for the Summa Health Complex Care Clinic, have set a benchmark for coordinated care to patients with the most complex needs.

Dr. Smucker embodied the heart of Summa Health, with a compassion that extended beyond his patients to touch every life around him. His legacy as an educator, a leader and a healer is woven into the fabric of our community, inspiring a new generation of physicians committed to excellence and empathy in equal measure.

He graduated from Otterbein University in 1974 and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1978. He then completed his Family Medicine residency at Akron City Hospital in 1981. Dr. Smucker also held Certificates of Added Qualification in Geriatric Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Dr. Smucker’s career was marked by a series of prestigious roles. He was a practicing family physician until he retired in 2020. From 1982 to 2013, he served as the medical director and as a primary care physician at Altenheim Senior Living in Strongsville. In 1987, he left private practice in Medina to join the Summa Health Family Medicine Residency Program as a faculty physician. His practice included 30 years as a long-term care provider in addition to his clinical care. In 2017, Dr. Smucker was named the director of the Family Medicine Residency Program, where he drove the program to unparalleled heights. His role as a professor of Family Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University underscored his dedication to advancing the field. 

Highly regarded as a long-term friend and supporter of The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, Dr. Smucker served on several committees and was a frequent guest lecturer at the society’s annual conference. He served as president of The Ohio Medical Directors Association and as an influential member of its Clinical Practice Committee and Palliative Care Workgroup. A distinguished member of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians since 1981, Dr. Smucker was honored posthumously as a Family Medicine Educator of the Year.

After his passing in January 2021, Dr. Smucker's legacy endures through his family's ongoing support of Family Medicine and the Complex Care Clinic. His wife, Helen Smucker, alongside sons David C. Smucker, Ph.D., and Darren Smucker, M.D., continues to honor his philanthropic spirit, ensuring that his commitment to improving the lives of patients lives on.

Dr. Smucker joins a distinguished group of past honorees including Thomas “Tom” M. File, M.D. (2023); William “Bill” Bauman, M.D. (2022); J. Patrick Flanagan, M.D. (2021); Jay Williamson, M.D., (2019); Ernest R. Estep, M.D. (2018); Gary B. Williams, M.D. (2017); the late Robert Liebelt, Ph.D., M.D. (2016); and the late James Tan, M.D. (2015).

Dr. Smucker’s life and extraordinary contributions will be formally honored at the annual Summa Society Celebration in May.