Peggy Knudson to Be Honored with Heroes & Hearts Award by SFGH Foundation
San Francisco General Hospital Foundation recently announced that UCSF trauma surgeon M. Margaret “Peggy” Knudson, M.D., FACS was among four recipients of the 2017 Heroes & Hearts Award who will be honored at the Foundation’s annual Heroes & Hearts luncheon on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at AT&T Park. . The award recognizes extraordinary heroes in the San Francisco Bay Area who exemplify the “go above and beyond” spirit of the Foundation, and Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG).
Dr. Knudson is being recognized for her emergency intervention, surgery, and recovery care of 6 year old Zachery Vines. On September 30, 2016, Zachery was rushed to the ZSFG trauma center with life threatening injuries. Dr. Knudson quickly assessed his dire condition and immediately had him prepared for surgery. Her quick thinking and expert surgical skills saved Zachery’s life and he has now fully recovered and is back in kindergarten.
“We are truly honored to recognize these four individuals who have dedicated their lives to the care of others,” says Amanda Heier, San Francisco General Hospital Foundation Chief Executive Officer. “We celebrate these heroes who have made immense contributions in their fields and who inspire those around them, both patients and colleagues. Each of these individuals makes tremendous efforts to ensure that the community as a whole is safe, healthy, and protected, while always going above and beyond to transform the lives of their fellow San Franciscans.”
About Dr. Knudson
M. Margaret “Peggy” Knudson, M.D.,FACS is an attending trauma surgeon at ZSFG, a professor of surgery at UCSF and the Medical Director of the Military Health System Strategic Partnership American College of Surgeons (MHSSPACS). In addition to numerous surgery residencies, Dr. Knudson has been involved with the development of trauma systems in California, with a special interest in pediatric trauma.
She has been on the front lines treating trauma victims in major disasters, ranging from the Haitian earthquake to the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, and has served as visiting surgeon in both Germany and Iraq, where she treated soldiers who were injured on the battlefield. In 2012, Dr. Knudson was named to U.S. News "America's Top Doctors," which reflects her inclusion in the top 1% of physicians in the U.S. for her specialty in general surgery.
Additionally, Dr. Knudson served as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Trauma at the national and state levels, and has been a member of the Executive Committee, American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, and of the Board of Managers of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the Western Trauma Association and the National Trauma Institute.
She is a member of the editorial board of several journals including the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, and Shock. In 2016 she was named the prestigious Fitts Orator at the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.