Memorial Health has awarded its Physician Lifetime Achievement Award to the late Dr. Keith Dimond, a highly regarded nephrologist who practiced at Memorial for more than 40 years. For his many accomplishments and, most importantly, for the patients he served, the medical executive committee at Memorial unanimously approved this recognition. The award was posthumously presented to Dimond’s family in a ceremony on July 26.

“Dr. Dimond was a valued member of our medical staff. He was an excellent clinician, teacher and leader,” said Dr. Stephen Malone, president of the Memorial Health medical staff. “Although his achievements and recognitions were many, he was quietly humble and unassuming. It was my privilege to have the opportunity to practice medicine with him." 

Dimond graduated with honors from the University of Cincinnati and completed medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1966. He completed an internship in internal medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and, following his internship, he served for two years in the US Public Health Service, Division of Indian Health before returning to Grady Memorial Hospital in 1969 to complete a residency in internal medicine, where he received the Resident of the Year Award.

After the completion of a two-year fellowship in Nephrology, Dimond came to Savannah to join Paulsen Square Medical Associates and, later, Medical Associates of Savannah. He was instrumental in creating the first dialysis center in Savannah at Memorial and served as its director. Dimond was an Associate Professor at both The Medical College of Georgia and Mercer University School of Medicine.

He was a member of the Memorial Health medical staff from 1973 to 2015 serving in various leadership roles including chair of the graduate medical education committee, chair of the credentials committee and chief of staff. He also served as a member of the Memorial Health board of directors. He was named the Memorial Health, Department of Internal Medicine Physician of the Year in 1992.  He also served as president of the Georgia Society of Nephrology and vice president of the Georgia Medical Society.