ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Robert Huizenga, MD, the medical expert on NBC's hit reality show, The Biggest Loser, will be the guest speaker at the St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation's Legacy Dinner. Tickets are available now for the dinner which will be Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, at 6 p.m. at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park, 950 Lake Carillon Drive. 

Dr. Huizenga, known as "Dr. H" to fans of the reality show, is an associate professor of clinical medicine at UCLA and author of books as well as multiple scientific papers on the aggressive, non-surgical approach he has championed during the last 12 seasons of The Biggest Loser. He also is the former team physician for the Los Angeles Raiders and the inspiration for Oliver Stone's film Any Given Sunday. In 2009, Dr. Huizenga was called as an expert witness by the House Judiciary Committee looking into catastrophic brain injuries in football players.

"Those who watch The Biggest Loser know that Dr. Huizenga is passionate about helping participants lose weight," says Robert Sherman, executive director of the St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation. "But his effect on them runs deeper than that. He also wants to help them dramatically change their habits, thoughts and lives. He will bring that same passion to his talk at the Legacy Dinner."

At the dinner, the St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation honors outstanding service annually through the giving of three awards: the Helen D. Roberts Philanthropy Award, the Roy G. Harrell, Jr. Leadership Award and the Hippocrates Award. Nominations for the awards will be accepted through Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. The awards will be announced before the presentation by Dr. Huizenga.

Award nomination forms can be downloaded from the Foundation's website at stanthonysfoundation.org. The forms can then be emailed to gail.cass-culver@baycare.org, faxed to (727) 825-1184 or mailed to the St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation, 1200 Seventh Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33705.  For more information, please call Gail Cass-Culver at 727-820-7895.

Tickets for the dinner are $75 and proceeds will benefit the sports medicine programs of St. Anthony's Hospital. Tickets may be purchased online at StAnthonysFoundation.org or call (727) 825-1086 for more information, to purchase tickets over the phone or to inquire about award nominations.

About St. Anthony's Hospital
St. Anthony's Hospital is a 395-bed hospital founded in 1931 as a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and was the first faith-based hospital in Pinellas County. St. Anthony's celebrated its 80th year in 2011, and the hospital continues its rich history dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing high-quality, innovative and compassionate care. St. Anthony's has received the 2012 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement award.  St. Anthony's Susan Sheppard McGillicuddy Breast Center has received accreditation from both the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and the American College of Radiology. For superior energy efficiency, St. Anthony's earned the EPA's ENERGY STAR three consecutive times. For more information on St. Anthony's, call (727) 953-6993.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 10 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient's lifetime. With more than 200 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need. 

BayCare's family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony's, St. Joseph's, St. Joseph's Children's, St. Joseph's Hospital-North, St. Joseph's Women's, and South Florida Baptist. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.

SOURCE St. Anthony’s Hospital