Dr. Mark Elam was honored with the Sellers-McCroan Award during the 2022 GPHA Annual Meeting and Conference. The Sellers-McCroan Award recognizes an individual or group whose work has had significant impact on epidemiology and/or laboratory services at the state, district or county levels; in academia; or in hospitals.

Dr. Elam is a well-known name in Public Health in the North and Northeast Georgia Health Districts due to his 26 years of dedicated service, his leadership roles in multiple health care facilities along with his inspiring passion for serving the community.

Dr. Elam is a 1986 graduate of the University of Tennessee Medical School and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington in 1989. He served in the US Army from 1982-1993 and was discharged with the rank of Major. Dr. Elam worked for seven years in private practice during which time he began volunteering for the Medical Access Clinic at the Whitfield County Health Department. While providing primary care for low income adults in this clinic, De. Elam found his calling to public health.

In 2002, Dr. Elam assumed the roles as Medical Director for the Medical Access Clinic as well as the District 1-2 HIV Living Bridge Clinic. From there, he added the duties of District 1-2 Tuberculosis Program Medical Consultant in 2008, and Medical Director for the District 1-1 HIV Clinic and District 1- Travel Clinic Medical Consultant in 2014.

Over the years Dr. Elam has served as the President of Georgia Medical Directors (2004-2006), Chairman of the NW Georgia Healthcare Partnership (2006-2008), Board Member of Hamilton Health Care Systems (2001-2007), and Medical Director of multiple nursing homes and hospice facilities (2004-2021). In July 2019, Dr. Elam was appointed as Clinical Assistant Professor for the Medical College of Georgia, training upcoming physicians at Hamilton Medical Center.

Dr. Elam has been married to his lovely wife Ellen for 38 years, has two daughters and two grandchildren. In his spare time Dr. Elam enjoys traveling, running, cheering on the UT Vols and spending time with his family and friends.