Congratulations to the 2015 Cunniff-Dixon Award Winners!

by Christian Sinclair

Every year the Cunniff-Dixon Foundation, in conjunction with the Hastings Center, award a select few physicians who have demonstrated great end-of-life care through their clinical efforts and dedication to the field. They are released in the Spring each year, and we wanted to help recognize the accomplishments of the awardees.

The 2015 awardees are:

• Shaida Talebreza (Early Career)  - Salt Lake City
• Laura M. Iglesias Lino (Early Career) - Massachusetts
• Mary K Buss (Early Career) - Massachusetts
• David N. Korones (Senior Career)  - New York
• Bruce E. Condit (Mid-Career) - Maine

Take some time and read about these great physicians. If you know them, please make sure to congratulate them. In addition, the story behind the awards is a wonderful read. The two names in the award are not the result of a hyphenated marriage, rather they are the last name of a patient (Carley Cunniff) and her physician (Peter S. Dixon).

"Not how the Cunniff-Dixon Awards are announced"

What I have always enjoyed about these awards is they focus on great clinical work, which is inherently local.  These are not necessarily the people who get wide name recognition by writing research grants or speaking at national meetings. What they are doing is providing great care and changing lives in your town and that deserves recognition on a grander scale.

I have seen this first hand. It was a pleasure to work closely with Dr. Ann Allegre, the medical director of Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care, who was one of the award recipients in 2011. Working with her since 2004, it seemed everywhere I went in Kansas City, she had helped work with doctors and nurses to improve end-of-life care.  I know you know someone like her, who works in your city or your state and provides exemplary end-of-life care. Make sure to nominate them!

For the next round of awards, you still have time to nominate that great colleague of yours who has made a difference in your community by providing excellent clinical service and leadership. The deadline is November 30, 2015.  As it gets closer, you may see more announcements here and throughout the various Pallimed Network channels.

Past Pallimed and Geripal posts about Cunniff-Dixon Awards

• 2011 Winners (Pallimed)
• 2012 Winners (GeriPal)
• 2013 Winners (GeriPal)

Christian Sinclair, MD, FAAHPM is a palliative care doctor at the University of Kansas Medical Center, editor of Pallimed, and loves to see when great things happen to hospice and palliative care clinicians! Read more posts from Dr. Sinclair on Pallimed.