Dr. John M. Ferretti, president and CEO of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, received the 2009 Distinguished Citizen Award from the French Creek Council, Boy Scouts of America.

The scouts honored Dr. Ferretti for his service to the community through health care and medical education at its Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner on Oct. 27, at the Bel-Aire Hotel and Conference Center in Erie, Pa.

“Dr. Ferretti supports and encourages the students of LECOM to achieve excellence in their lives, just as Scouting teaches youths to excel and learn to become better citizens,” said Duane Havard, scout executive of the French Creek Council. “The Boy Scouts are very excited to award John with this recognition.”

In accepting the Distinguished Citizen Award, Dr. Ferretti said the honor called to mind several key values and principles championed by the Boy Scouts of America and held in common with those taught to students at LECOM.

“One of the most important Boy Scout mottos is to ‘Be Prepared,’” he said. “At LECOM, we’ve embraced that point of view."

For more information, visit www.lecom.edu.