Dr. Pat O'Malley receives the first annual Ilene Beal Courageous Provider award

The inaugural, 2019 Courageous Provider Award was given to Patricia J.(Pat) O’Malley, MD in a moving ceremony at MGH on February 13th, 2019. Dr. O’Malley serves as Medical Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Pediatric Palliative Care Service and as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. In announcing this award, CPN Founder and Executive Director Blyth Taylor Lord cited Dr. O’Malley’s “dedication to seeing and treating the family unit with an eye to alleviating the physical and emotional pain, fear and isolation common to so many facing lifespan-limiting pediatric illness … she truly makes a difference in how families cope and remember.”

Established in late 2018 in collaboration with the Ilene Beal Charitable Foundation and Courageous Parents Network, the Ilene Beal Courageous Provider Award annually honors a pediatric provider who provides exceptional family-centered care in circumstances of serious childhood illness. 

Blyth Lord of Courageous Parents Network presenting Dr. Pat O'Malley, with the inaugural Ilene Beal Courageous Provider Award.

To learn more about the event, and read tributes to Dr. O'Malley from a parent, and one of her children, please click here.

Read about the ceremony in Wicked Local Lincoln Patch here...

And below right you can also view the video tribute shown at the event.

---

Ilene Beal honored by The Ellie Fund

Executive Director Meredith presented Ilene Beal with the Ellie Rose Popkin award at their annual Academy Awards Gala for her foundation's grant of $375,000 over three years to support direct services to women and their families who are undergoing treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer:

"Tonight we honor the lasting legacy of two women who cared more for others than they did for themselves despite an extremely difficult diagnoses of metastatic breast cancer.   Eleanor Rose Popkin was the devoted mother of two teenage boys when she died of breast cancer at the age of 49.  Ellie, as she was known, continued to give tirelessly to her family, her community and even to very sick children that she would visit in the hospital while she herself was struggling.  I am very pleased that one of Ellie’s sons, Jeff, who founded the Ellie Fund in memory of his mother and who also proudly serves on the Board of Directors is here tonight.  

The Eleanor Rose Popkin Award was created to honor a person who embodied similar values to that of Ellie Popkin.  Dedication to community, giving back and helping others. 

Ilene Beal embodied these same characteristics.  Throughout Ilene’s long career in the banking industry in Boston, she mentored and guided countless women to reach success, all whom credit her with their growth and leadership.  Ilene was a saver, pragmatic and sensible, she was fiercely self-sufficient.  When she was very ill and things were looking incredibly bleak for her, she decided to give much of her hard earned savings to help cancer patients at Newton Wellesley Hospital.   She shared, with her friends, several of whom are here tonight, that even though she was incredibly ill, she never felt better on the day that she made her extraordinary gift.  Giving back helped her in that moment, and continues to help the Ellie Fund. Ilene would appreciate our deliberate and disciplined way of engaging in the business of caring for people.   I’m sorry I never met Ilene Beal or Ellie Popkin. But I am so proud that their legacy of profound care and kindness lives at the Ellie Fund today and will continue to in the future."