CPN Announces the 2023 Courageous Provider Award

Courageous Parents Network announces 2023 Courageous Provider Award Winners.

 

The Courageous Provider Awards annually recognize individuals or teams advancing the impact of pediatric palliative care through their work and collaboration with others.

2023 Ilene Beal Courageous Provider Award Recipients

Established in late 2018, the Ilene Beal Courageous Provider Award annually honors a pediatric provider who provides exceptional family-centered care in circumstances of serious childhood illness. The award recipient must further demonstrate qualities of compassion, empathy, and the ability to accompany families during difficult phases of the illness journey. Finally, the recipient must demonstrate a willingness to collaborate with other pediatric specialists.

Headshot of a woman in her officeFrances T. McCarthy, MS, RNC-NIC
Clinical Coordinator, Neonatal Comfort Care Program
Columbia University Irving Medical Center/ New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital New York, NY

A neonatal specialist, Frances McCarthy sometimes has the difficult task of preparing parents both for their child’s birth and death. A patient family reflected on the profound impact of her “listen[ing] to goals and priorities, validat[ing] them, and [providing] critical emotional safety” in the face of extraordinarily difficult decisions.

Head shot of a man with glasses and a mustacheKenneth Pituch, MD
Clinical Professor Emeritus
Michigan Partners for Children | C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
Ann Arbor, MI

Kenneth Pituch’s nominators described his advocacy for a holistic view of his patient as specialists presented their findings and recommendations. The family reflected on the courage he displayed in his willingness to answer difficult questions “compassionately and without flinching.” The family also stressed the warm and supportive relationship they built together with Dr. Pituch which endures beyond the life of their child.

 

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