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<\/a>Dr. Zamora has 31 years of experience as a practicing physician. He and his niece, Dr. Belda Zamora, practice together at a family clinic in East Austin.<\/p>\nIn 2013, Dr. Zamora was appointed to the Central Health Board of Managers by the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 2014, he was appointed to the Integral Care Board. He has also served as president, secretary, and treasurer of the Travis County Medical Society and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including\u00a0Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0St. David’s Medical Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dr. Zamora earned his medical degree\u00a0from The University of Texas (UT) Medical Branch in Galveston in 1985. After graduating, he moved to Corpus Christi where he completed\u00a0a Family Practice Residency at Memorial Medical Center, where he also later served as Chief Resident for the Family Practice Department. Upon successfully completing his residency, he moved to Austin and established\u00a0his private practice with his brother Dr. Santiago Zamora. In 1988, Dr. Zamora received his Board Certification\u00a0in Family Practice.<\/p>\n Growing up poor in San Antonio, he had first-hand experience with the effects of poverty on health, but somehow his mother always scraped up enough money for he and his siblings to see a doctor when they were ill. \u201cDr. Masters [Dr. Zamora\u2019s family physician] would come in with a cup of coffee, cigarette, a notecard, and an empathetic and nurturing attitude,\u201d Dr. Zamora said. \u201cI likened him to iconic television family physician Dr. Marcus Welby. He was my role model. I wanted to be him,\u201d Dr. Zamora said, adding with a smile, \u201cMinus the cigarette.\u201d<\/p>\n The award serves as an inspiration to younger doctors and encourages them in family, social, civic, and professional life to cultivate character that earns the respect and goodwill of colleagues and the profession at large. Nominators recognized many reasons why Dr. Zamora was an appropriate recipient, including his knowledge, integrity, service to the community, humility, and compassion for patients and fellow workers.<\/p>\n Humanitarian of the Year\u00a0<\/strong> For the past 16 years, Dr. Schalscha has volunteered as a board member of DOCARE International, a\u00a0medical outreach organization dedicated to providing health care to under-served communities around the world. As mission medical director of DOCARE, he annually leads a team of 70-100 providers and students to Guatemala, and was instrumental in the establishment of two permanent continuity clinics in San Andres, Colombia and Tecpan, Guatemala.<\/p>\n \u201cI think humanitarian work is extremely important to me because access to health care is a human right,\u201d said Dr. Schalscha.\u201cBeing awarded the Humanitarian of the Year Award is exciting. The fact that the Travis County Medical Society and colleagues deem advocating for under-resourced individuals as being important is something to celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe medical society recognizes Dr. Schalscha as humanitarian of the year for his many years of health outreach efforts to some of the most poverty-stricken places in the world.\u00a0\u00a0The award is presented to a physician member of the Travis County Medical Society who provides exceptional volunteer service to others, beyond the normal scope of practice.<\/p>\n