Awards
In addition to supporting the critical work and passion of our members, AAHPM also recognizes the importance of celebrating our members’ achievements. AAHPM recognizes members with a number of awards, presented at the Annual Assembly.
A Call for Nominations is held every year in late spring.
To nominate an individual for an award, you must be a member of AAHPM. You will be prompted to login to your account prior to submitting a nomination.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognizes outstanding contributions and significant publications that have helped shape the direction of the field of hospice and palliative medicine. View past winners by clicking Read More.
2018
Timothy E. Quill, MD FACP FAAHPM is the Georgia and Thomas Gosnell Distinguished Professor of Palliative Care and Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry, Medical Humanities and Nursing at the University of Rochester, School of Medicine (URMC) and served as president of AAHPM in 2012. The founding director of URMC Palliative Care Program for more than 15 years, he is now the acting director of the URMC Paul M. Schyne Center for Bioethics.
Winners
2018: Timothy E. Quill, MD FACP FAAHPM
2017: C. Porter Storey Jr., MD FACP FAAHPM
2016: Susan Block, MD FAAHPM
2015: Michael H. Levy, MD PhD
2014: Ira R. Byock, MD FAAHPM
2013: Robert M. Arnold, MD FAAHPM
2012: Russell K. Portenoy, MD
2011: Charles von Gunten, MD PhD FACP FAAHPM
2010: Eduardo Bruera, MD FAAHPM
2009: Diane E. Meier, MD FACP FAAHPM
2008: Robert Twycross, DM FRCP
2007: Rosemary Gibson, MSc
2006: Neil MacDonald, MD
2005: Derek Doyle, MD
2004: Florence Wald, MS RN MN
2003: Kathleen M. Foley, MD
2002: Dame Cicely Saunders, OM DBE FRCP
2001: Balfour M. Mount, MD
Gerald H. Holman Distinguished Service Award
Recognizes outstanding and dedicated service to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The award will be presented to an individual (or group) that has advanced the mission of the AAHPM in a significant and lasting way.
2018
Phillip E. Rodgers, MD FAAHPM is an associate professor of Family Medicine and Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan where he practices and teaches full-spectrum family medicine and subspecialty palliative medicine and directs the Adult Palliative Care Clinical Program. He has been an AAHPM member since 2001 and achieved status as a Fellow of the Academy in 2009.
Winners
2018: Phillip E. Rodgers, MD FAAHPM
2017: David M McGrew, MD HMDC FAAHPM
2016: David Casarett, MD MA FAAHPM
2015: Steven (Skip) Radwany, MD FAAHPM
2014: Chad Kollas, MD FAAHPM FACP FCLM
2013: Daniel Fischberg, MD PhD FAAHPM
2012: Amy P. Abernethy, MD FACP FAAHPM
2011: Charles Sasser, MD FACP FAAHPM
2010: Jean S. Kutner, MD MSPH FAAHPM
2009: James F. Cleary, MD FAChPM
2008: Dale Lupu, PhD
2007: Paul Rousseau, MD FAAHPM
2006: Porter Storey, MD FACP FAAHPM
2005: David Weissman, MD
2004: Charles F. von Gunten, MD PhD FACP FAAHPM
2003: Susan Block, MD FAAHPM
2002: Ira R. Byock, MD FAAHPM
2001: Gerald H. Holman, MD FRCP FAAP and Michael H. Levy, MD PhD
Josefina B. Magno Distinguished Hospice Physician Award
Recognizes a hospice medical director or hospice physician who provides the highest quality services and innovative programs and who demonstrates exemplary dedication to the practice of palliative medicine in a hospice setting.
2018
Joel S. Policzer, MD FACP FAAHPM is the senior vice president of Medical Affairs at VITAS Healthcare; previously, he was the senior vice president and national medical director. He serves as the medical director for the hospice inpatient unit at Florida Medical Center and Sunrise Health and Rehabilitation Center, and as an assistant adjunct professor at the Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine and the Florida International University Wertheim College of Medicine.
Winners
2018: Joel S. Policzer, MD FACP FAAHPM
2017: Joan Harrold, MD MPH HMDC FACP FAAHPM
2016: Jeffrey Spiess, MD FAAHPM
2015: Edward W. Martin, MD MPH FACO
2014: Ronald J. Crossno, MD FAAFP FAAHPM
2013: Janet H. Bull, MD FAAHPM
2012: Gail Austin Cooney, MD FAAHPM
2011: Chuck Wellman, MD FAAHPM
2010: Barry M. Kinzbrunner, MD FAAHPM
2009: David M. McGrew, MD FAAHPM
2008: Laurel H. Herbst, MD
2007: Perry Fine, MD
2006: Cheryl Arenella, MD MPH
2005: Martha Twaddle, MD FAAHPM
Humanities Award
Recognizes person(s) whose work has advanced the relationship between humanities and palliative care, and who have employed the discipline of the humanities to improve end-of-life care through community or professional education. Candidates for the award include poets, artists, musicians, medical educators and others involved in medical humanities in the broadest terms.
2018
Frank Ostaseski is the founder and director of the Metta Institute in Sausalito, CA. He established the institute in 2004 to provide education on spirituality in dying. The faculty is among the leading voices in re-visioning end-of-life care in America. One of their programs is the End of Life Care Practitioner Program which is one of the most comprehensive professional training programs in the country. Ostaseski was a cofounder and director of the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, CA, which created the first Buddhist hospice in America. This nationally recognized hospice program is a fusion of spiritual insight and practical social action.
Winners
2018: Frank Ostaseski
2017: Lucille Marchand, MD BSN FAAHPM
2016: Candy Chang
2015: Christina M. Puchalski, MD FACP
2014: Barbara Sourkes, PhD
2013: Balfour M Mount, MD
2012: David Dosa, MD MPH
2011: Atul Gawande, MD MPHMA
2010: Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
2009: Authors of the Last Lecture; Randy Pausch, PhD and Jeffrey Zaslow
2008: Deidre Scherer
2007: Joan Didion
2006: Bill Moyers
2005: Jack Coulehan, MD MPH
2004: Robert Pope
2001: David Barnard, PhD and Sandra I. Bertman, PhD
Award for Excellence in Scientific Research in Palliative Care
Recognizes meaningful, exemplary research contributions to the field of hospice and palliative care. The recipient is expected to present his/her research within the broad context of the field of hospice and palliative care.
2018
Holly Prigerson, PhD is the Irving Sherwood Wright Chair in Geriatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine where she has tenure. She is also affiliated with New York – Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, where she works on many mentored awards at this time. Prigerson’s research has concentrated on 2 main topics: 1) cancer related end-of-life decision making and care and 2) bereaved caregivers’ adjustment to a loved one’s death. She’s published nearly 250 original research publications and has been cited over 27,000 times.
Winners
2018: Holly Prigerson, PhD
2017: Jennifer S. Temel, MD
2016: Amy Abernethy, MD PhD FAAHPM
2015: David Currow, BMed MPH FRACP FAChPM and Karen Steinhauser, PhD
2014: Joanne Wolfe, MD MPH FAAHPM
2013: R. Sean Morrison, MD FAAHPM
2012: J. Randall Curtis, MD MPH
2011: Harvey Chochinov, MD PhD FRCPC
2010: Sebastiano Mercadante, MD
2009: Vincent Mor, PhD
2008: Irene Higginson, BMedSci BMBS FFPHM PhD
2007: Betty Ferrell, PhD RN FAAN
2006: James Tulsky, MD FAAHPM
2005: Joan Teno MD MS
2004: Eduardo Bruera, MD FAAHPM
Project on Death in America (PDIA) Palliative Medicine National Leadership Award
Recognizes a physician leader who has advanced the field of palliative care by the education of the next generation of palliative care leaders. The award program promotes the visibility and prestige of physicians in both academic and clinical settings who are committed to mentoring future leaders and serving as role models for other health professionals engaged in improving the care of the dying.
2018
Eduardo Bruera, MD FAAHPM is the chair, of the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine and the F.T. McGraw Chair in the Treatment of Cancer at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also a professor at UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston among many other appointments and affiliations.
Winners
2018: Eduardo Bruera, MD FAAHPM
2017: Michael W. Rabow, MD FAAHPM
2016: Stephen McPhee, MD
2015: Nancy Hutton, MD FAAP FAAHPM
2014: Co-creators of GeriPal; Eric Widera, MD & Alexander K. Smith MD MPH MS
2013: Christine S. Ritchie, MD MSPH FAAHPM
2012: Anthony L. Back, MD
2011: Robert Arnold, MD FAAHPM
2010: R. Sean Morrison, MD FAAHPM
2009: Declan Walsh, MSc FACP FRCP (Edin)
2008: Russell K. Portenoy, MD
2007: Diane Meier, MD FACP FAAHPM
2006: Susan Block, MD FAAHPM and J Andrew Billings, MD
Project on Death in America (PDIA) Palliative Medicine Community Leadership Award
Recognizes a physician leader who has advanced the field of palliative care in their communities through distinctive mentorship and leadership. This award recognizes physicians in both academic and clinical settings who are committed to mentoring future leaders and serving as role models for other health professionals engaged in improving the care of the dying.
2018
Alexander R. Nesbitt, MD is the medical director of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Susquehanna Supportive and Palliative Care. He is also the director and coordinator of the Lycoming County Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Initiative. He set the standard for all POLST facilitators in the region to attend a four hour in-service training sessions which he developed.
Winners
2018: Alexander R. Nesbitt, MD
2017: Carol A. Luhrs, MD FAAHPM
2016: Kenneth Pituch, MD
2015: David B. Oliver, PhD and Debra Parker Oliver, PhD MSW
2014: Bruce L. Miller, MD
2013: Scott T. Shreve, DO
2012: Bernard J. Hammes, PhD
2011: Ira Byock, MD FAAHPM
2010: Timothy E. Quill, MD FACP FAAHPM
2009: Pallimed creator and contributers: Thomas E. Quinn, APRN MSN AOCN CHPN; Christian T. Sinclair, MD, FAAHPM, and Drew Rosielle, MD FAAHPM
2008: Terence L. Gutgsell, MD
2007: Ann Allegre, MD FACP FAAHPM
Presidential Citation(s)
These award(s) acknowledge individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of hospice and palliative medicine but do not qualify for consideration in other award categories. Recommendations would be made by the President, Board members or leadership, and approved by the Board of Directors or Executive Committee. This recognition would not have to be given each year – only when suitable and exceptional candidates are identified and selected. It would also be limited to a maximum of three recipients (individuals or organizations) in a given year.
2018
Patrick H. Conway, MD MSc; Jeri L. Miller, PhD; and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Winners
2018: Patrick H. Conway, MD MSc; Jeri L. Miller, PhD; and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
2017: J. Donald Schumacher, Psyd, Cambia Health Foundation, and Sue Ramthun.
2016: Ellen Goodman of the Conversation Project, The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The California Healthcare Foundation
2015: Rebecca Kirch, JD, Mary Callaway, MME and Hearst Foundations
2014: Jean Acevedo, LHRM CPC CHC CENTC, Amy J. Berman, MS RN, American Society of Clinical Oncology
2013: Christine K. Cassel, MD, National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC), Senator Ronald L. Wyden
2012: Judy Lentz, RN MSN NHA, Myra J. Christopher, The Pain & Policy Studies Group
2011: Senator Sharon Carstairs, Canada, Lynn Hill-Spragens,The American Cancer Society
2010: Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Gail Sheehy, Steve Smith, CAE
2009: Tom Batiuk, Alexis Bakos, Dorothy Moga
Early Career Investigator Award
Recognizes a member of AAHPM who is developing as a research leader, showing promise of making contributions to the development of a scientific foundation for practice and research, conducting or facilitating research by others that advances the field of hospice and palliative medicine, has a beginning record of scientific publications, and contributes to the AAHPM community at large. The nominees for this award will not yet have achieved independence as an investigator (ie having R01 level funding, or its equivalent). This award was presented for the first time at the 2014 annual assembly.
2018
Abby Rosenberg, MD MS is an assistant professor, Pediatrics and Associate Program Director, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the University of Washington. She is an attending at Seattle Children’s Hospital and is part of the core faculty in pediatrics at Truman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics. She has published more than 50 articles in referred journals and written two book chapters. She is also a member of the AAHPM PC-FACS editorial board. Dr. Rosenberg has been invited to speak both nationally and internationally.
2018: Abby Rosenberg, MD MS
2017: Arif Kamal, MD MBA MHS FACP FAAHPM
2016: Yael Schenker, MD
Paper Awards
These awards recognize the top 5% of papers, as determined by the Scientific Subcommittee during the abstract review and scoring process.
Winners
2018: Eunice Omoyeni, MBBS PGD DIPPALMED (UTC) MPHIL and Melissa Wachterman, MD MPH
2017: Rebecca Sudore, MD and Stacy M. Fischer, MD
2016: Amy Kelley, MD MS MSHS and Susan Miller, PhD MPH
Scientific and Quality Improvement Poster Awards
These awards recognize the best poster in each research topic category and best quality improvement project poster.
2018 Winners
Clinical Research: Melissa Teply, MD FACP
Educational Research: Suresh Reddy, MD
Health Services Research: Kayla Sheehan, BA MS
Instrument Development/Psychometric Validation: Ashima Lal, MD
Population Research: Anne Kinderman, MD and Chad Kollas, MD FACP FCLM FAAHPM
Quality Improvement Project: Jennifer Reidy, MD FAAHPM
Case Poster Awards
These awards recognize the best poster submitted by a professional and a professional in training.
Winners
2018: Jessica Lynch, MD