In his role as medical director of the Transition Center, Steve Quintero, M.D., often sees patients who have struggled to find help with their health problems. His most effective tool in providing those patients with the medical care they need?

“Listening,” Quintero said. “That’s what has been missing for many of them – someone to listen to them. That’s often the only way to really figure out what’s needed to solve their problem.”

Quintero, an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, isn’t accustomed to having the attention focused on him. So he was surprised recently to learn that Tallahassee Memorial Hospital was honoring him as one of its ICARE Physicians for 2012.

Quintero received the honor May 8 during a ceremony at the Goodwood Museum in Tallahassee.

Every year as part of National Nurses’ Week, TMH accepts nominations from across its organization for those nurses and physicians who “embody and exemplify” one of the TMH core values.

Quintero was honored for modeling compassion.

“What makes this meaningful for me,” Quintero said, “is that a patient felt compelled to nominate me for the award. That means someone who needed my help felt that they got the care they needed. That’s very important to me.”