The Third Scribner Courage in Health Care Award
presented by
The AwardThe Scribner Courage in Health Care Award is bestowed to a health care professional who has made an extraordinary contribution to the health of people in the Pacific Northwest through the exhibition of personal courage, within or outside of traditional “systems.” Emphasis is given to extraordinary service, innovation and professional courage over time that has resulted in meaningful change and improvement in health care. Any living health care professional doing his or her work primarily in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, or Montana is eligible for the award.
Although Dr. Scribner was a figure of eminence and stature whose work was recognized in 2002 with the Lasker Award—the American equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Medicine—he was a humble, entirely humane physician whose chief concern was always for his patients. He believed that research should be conducted for the public good and that dialysis should be a community resource, not a commodity. Early in his career, Dr. Scribner’s work was greeted with skepticism. However, he persisted with courage and commitment in pursuing his vision for better care and improved quality of life for people with kidney failure. He greatly influenced the areas of kidney dialysis, bioethics, Medicare coverage of end stage renal disease, and other areas of thought and practice. Dr. Scribner’s work exemplifies the superior contribution to health care envisioned by the Scribner Courage in Health Care Award program.
Past AwardeesDr. Alvin Thompson, University of Washington Clinical Professor of Medicine and Past President of the Washington State Medical Association, received the first Scribner Courage in Health Care Award in 2004. Dr. Thompson demonstrated great professional courage while enhancing health care for underserved communities in our state. His community service and professional advocacy have provided inspiration and mentorship to the medical community and aspiring health care professionals.
The second Scribner Awardee, named in 2006, was Dr. Robert Wood for his long-term commitment to identifying, advocating and advancing the care for people with HIV/AIDS. Dr. Wood was an early and articulate advocate for the recognition of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s and, astonishing as it seems now, received death threats when he first brought the AIDS epidemic to light in our community.
Today, he serves as Director of the HIV/AIDS Program for Public Health – Seattle & King County and is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Presentation of the AwardThe Scribner Courage in Health Care Award will be presented at a community event to be held in the Fall of 2008. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Nassim Assefi, a renowned author and international physician leader, speaking on “Courage in Adversity: Responding to the Public Health Impact of War – Stories from Afghanistan and the Middle East”. Proceeds of this event will benefit the Northwest Kidney Centers, which Dr. Scribner helped found in 1962. The award event will take place on Wednesday evening, September 24, 2008, at the ‘Harborside on Lake Union’ in Seattle.
Nomination ProcessPlease submit your nomination(s) with a statement describing why the nominee deserves the Scribner Courage in Health Care Award to the address below. Please include contact information for yourself and the nominee. Further information may be requested about those individuals who are selected as finalist nominees.
The deadline for nominations is February 29, 2008. Send nominations to:
Scribner Courage in Health Care Awards, First Choice Health, Attn: Dr. Ze’ev Young, 600 University Street, Suite #1400, Seattle, WA 98101.
For more information about the nominating process please call (206)-268-2430.
Invitations will be mailed in the Summer of 2008. To be placed on the invitation list, please contact Cynthia Hay at (206) 292-2771 Ext. 1107 or hayc@nwkidney.org.