George Dean, M.D., received an undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 1953 and his medical degree from the School of Medicine in 1956. Dr. Dean is considered one of the founding fathers of the Family Medicine specialty. After joining the Wayne State University School of Medicine as a clinical faculty member, he worked with his colleagues to establish the American Board of Family Practice, known today as the American Board of Family Medicine. Dr. Dean then successfully lobbied for the Wayne State University School of Medicine to create a Department of Family Medicine, which has since trained numerous talented physicians. Additionally, Dr. Dean was instrumental in establishing Family Medicine departments at the University of Michigan Health System and Michigan State University. A devoted member of the faculty, Dr. Dean has served as an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine while maintaining his successful Family Medicine practice in Southfield, Mich. He  has also been extremely active with the Wayne County Academy of Family Physicians and was president of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. Because of his work, Dr. Dean has received many peer-nominated awards, including Michigan's Family Physician of the Year Award in 1985, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians in 2006 and an Archie Award of Excellence from the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians in 2007. Wayne State University now recognizes Dr. George Dean as a recipient of the 2018 School of Medicine Trailblazer Award.