Clinical Center employees honored for clinical excellence, compassionate care of patients
In October, Dr. Colleen Hadigan with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was named Staff Clinician of the Year, and Clinical Center colleagues Victoria Anderson and Karen Baker were co-named Nurse Practitioners of the Year. The honor comes from the Clinical Center Clinical Recognition Program, which launched in April. The new prestigious awards offer formal recognition to NIH's outstanding staff clinicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants for outstanding clinical excellence and compassion in the care of patients at the NIH Clinical Center
More than 40 nominations were submitted for the awards. Typically only one Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant of the Year would be chosen - but there was a tie this year by the Clinical Center Clinical Recognition Committee.
Staff Clinician of the Year
Dr. Colleen Hadigan, Staff Clinician, NIAID
Excerpt from nomination submission:
"I can state with no doubt or hesitation that she has truly been a role model of academic success, collegial collaboration, and tremendous productivity. She is a tireless educator and I know of no equal within our Institute at the Staff Clinician level who has played as large a role as she has in improving the quality of our clinical research enterprise. That she carries out the tremendous breadth of her duties with such personal warmth, understanding, and compassion is just further proof of her remarkable career here with us."
Nurse Practitioner of the Year
Victoria Anderson, Nurse Practitioner & Deputy Director, Center for Interventional Oncology, CC
Excerpt from nomination submission:
"She took it upon herself to improve standardize processes for patient safety, Interventional Radiology safety processes, medical records improvements, and still takes the time to hold patient's hands, round on inpatients and outpatients, and assist in patients' families' processes as they learn to cope with diseases. I can think of no other individual at the NIH who gives her heart and soul and spirit to the institutions and to the patient and the patient's families for the betterment and safety of those patients than Ms. Anderson."
Nurse Practitioner of the Year
Karen Baker, Nurse Practitioner, CC
Excerpt from nomination submission:
"Karen Baker is among the very best providers with whom I have worked. She is superb at the collaboration necessary to support patients and families across the illness trajectory. She helps patients live as well as possible with serious illness or arduous treatment. Her contributions include helping clinical center teams utilize integrative modalities; faculty in the palliative care physician fellowship program; implementation of a bereavement program; collaboration with other disciplines for debriefings; education on palliative, end-of-life, and self-care; IRB participation; and education/policy related to pain management and opioid utilization."