Congratulations to all of the nominees for the 2007 Humanitarian Awards program. The awards were created to honour students, staff and volunteers at SickKids who exemplify the qualities of compassion and humanitarianism in providing care to children and families. Individuals are nominated by their peers or by families who have interacted with them.

The Humanitarian Awards program consists of five different awards: the Student Humanitarian Award, the Family Advisory Committee Award, the Robert Salter Humanitarian Award, the Claus Wirsig Humanitarian Award and the Volunteer Humanitarian Award.

Sarah Butler and Stacey Martins, nursing students in the AboutKidsHealth Family Resource Centre, and Dr. Sharon Cushing, a resident in Otolaryngology, are this year’s recipients of the Student Humanitarian Award. These awards were created to honour students at the hospital who are particularly compassionate to patients and their families in their provision of care.

Families of patients nominate individuals for The Family Advisory Committee Award, both for their humanitarianism and because they have demonstrated a commitment to the philosophy of family-centred care. This year’s recipients are Sally Casey, RN, 8D and Kelly Roddy, RN, NICU.

The recipients of the Robert Salter Humanitarian Award this year are Marisa Cornacchia, RN, Emergency, and Paulette Lamb, RN, 8A. The Salter Award honours staff at the hospital for their humanitarianism, demonstrated through their interactions with children, parents, and colleagues at SickKids.

Like the Salter award, The Claus Wirsig Humanitarian Award honours a staff member at the hospital for compassion and humanitarianism. In addition, recipients of this award must communicate these values to students in a meaningful way. This year’s recipients are Dr. Eric Bouffet, neuro oncologist, and Dr. Lee Ford-Jones, infectious disease specialist.

A ceremony honouring nominees and recipients will be held on Wednesday, May 16, in the Atrium Terrace, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

To read more information about the Humanitarian Awards and the nomination process, visit the Humanitarian Awards Program web site.