John D. Oswalt, MD, with Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons, was one of five physicians recently honored with The University of Texas Medical Branch Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The award — the highest honor bestowed by the university’s school of medicine alumni association — recognizes outstanding service to the medical profession and to humanity. It honors the memory of Dr. Ashbel Smith, a prominent figure in Texas medicine, politics and education. Smith was instrumental in establishing The University of Texas at Austin in 1881 and, in 1891, a medical department in Galveston that would become UTMB.