JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The doctor who created the concept of "family focused child health care and community pediatric health centers," Robert J. Haggerty, MD, will be honored with the 2004 Alfred I. duPont Award for Excellence in Children's Health Care for his lifetime commitment and contributions to excellence in health care for children. Dr. Haggerty will receive a $50,000 cash prize and an original Steuben Glass sculpture as recipient of the national award on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 at, 8:00 P.M. (EDT), at the Ponte Vedra Inn Conference Center Ballroom in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The 2004 Recipient
Dr. Haggerty is a pioneer in the creation of community health centers, which today are the primary source of health care in many inner city communities around the country. He is one of the most prominent leaders in pediatric medicine to practice in the second half of the 20th century, having trained two generations of pediatricians who are the leaders of pediatrics today.
"I'm very, very honored, and deeply grateful for this recognition. I thought my greatest achievement was my students, how they take what they've learned from their teachers and carry that forward to an entire new generation, combining education with the development of new services for children," said Dr. Haggerty. "This is fantastic and I'm humbled to receive this award."
Dr. Haggerty is a nationally prominent leader in the dual mandate of continuing health professional education and advocacy. He was also responsible for revolutionizing the practice of pediatric medicine by developing the field of Community Pediatrics, integrated care and coining the term "new morbidity," all of which began to refocus the discipline on the psychosocial stress issues that play an important role in influencing children's health. His research on the association of life stress and increased susceptibility of children to infections was a stimulus for many other researchers investigating the physiologic basis for this finding.
His primary interests have always been in promoting the health of children and youth through the establishment of more effective integrated services and policies that will assist them in achieving their full potential. Dr. Haggerty is Professor and Chair Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. A full biography of Dr. Haggerty and his photograph are available for download at: http://www.nemours.org/internet?url=no/info/award/haggerty.html
The Alfred I. duPont Award
The Alfred I. duPont Award for Excellence in Children's Health Care was established in 2001 by the Board of Directors of Nemours to honor duPont's legacy of care for children. In his life and work, Alfred I. duPont, benefactor of Nemours, was creative but exacting -- seeking for himself and inspiring others to achieve excellence. This year's recipient celebrates the
work of an individual who has made outstanding contributions to health care for children that fulfils the ideals of the Award's criteria.
"Dr. Haggerty has spent his life with a mission to improve children's care nationally, and Nemours salutes his valiant and effective efforts of advancing his vision of excellence," said W. T. Thompson III, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nemours. "He transformed pediatric training and pediatric care models in ways that still support excellence in children's health care, and to focus on patient-centered care," said Thompson.
The duPont award reflects Nemours' national commitment to upholding the delivery of safe, high quality care to patients and to support individuals who are advocates for improving the health care of children. Dr. Haggerty's lifetime commitment to achieve all this aligns with Nemours' patient-centered care model and organizational drive to excellence.
About Nemours
Nemours provides institutions and services to improve the health of children. Employing 445 subspecialty physicians and surgeons, Nemours cared for more than 200,000 children during more than three quarter of a million in- patient and outpatient visits in 2003, making Nemours one of the nation's largest pediatric subspecialty group practices.
In addition to the many ongoing research, education, health and prevention programs, Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, and major children's specialty centers in Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr), New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees) and several primary care pediatric practices throughout Delaware. Additionally, the most visited health care Web site online for children and teens, http://www.kidshealth.org/ is a project of Nemours.
Nemours is affiliated with the Mayo Clinic, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Florida, University of Delaware, Christiana Care Health System, Baptist Medical Center (Wolfson Children's Hospital), Orlando Regional Medical Center (Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women) and Sacred Heart Children's Hospital. Additional information can be found at http://www.nemours.org/ .
Nemours FoundationCONTACT: Odette Struys, National Media Relations Manager, NemoursFoundation, +1-904-232-4186, or fax, +1-904-232-4180, or ostruys@nemours.org