The New Hampshire Union Leader honored the late spinal cord specialist William "Ed" Kois, MD, with its 17th annual Nackey S. Loeb First Amendment Award on Nov. 19.
Dr. Kois filed a whistleblower complaint in 2016 about poor conditions and substandard care at the Manchester (N.H.) VA Medical Center. He and several other VA employees also complained to Boston Globe reporters about the circumstances when no improvements were made.
Dr. Kois' wife, Pamela Greenley, accepted the First Amendment Award on his behalf, saying he was known for speaking out and questioning authority.
Boston Globe journalist Jonathan Saltzman recalled in a video that Dr. Kois was driven by concern for his patients, saying that nearly 100 veterans had become disabled or paralyzed because of inadequate treatment at the VA hospital.
Dr. Kois was director of the VA Medical Center's spinal cord clinic. He died in July after a car crash, according to the Boston Globe.