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HONORS AND AWARDS
PALLIATIVE RESEARCH CENTER HONORED FOR INNOVATION
UC Davis’ West Coast Center for Palliative Education and Research
was honored this summer with a Circle of Life Award for improving
the care of patients near the end of life or with life-threatening
conditions.
The center is a cross-departmental, interdisciplinary group of physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists
and researchers. Its mission is to enhance the quality, appropriateness and effectiveness of palliative
care services, and access to such services, especially for underserved populations. The center was one
of the first palliative care centers in the United States to promote independent, innovative research,
training and care models in all aspects of palliative care.
Frederick J. Meyers, professor and chair of internal medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical
Center, is founder and director of the West Coast Center for Palliative Education and Research.
The Circle of Life Award celebrates programs across the nation that have made Frederick J. Meyers great
strides in palliative and end-of-life care. The awards are supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
in Princeton, N.J., and are sponsored by the American Hospital Association, the American Association of
Homes and Services for the Aging, the American Medical Association and the National Hospice and Palliative
Care Organization. UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center
is one of 10 organizations honored this year by the Circle of Life
Award Program.
“It’s a privilege to be recognized for the work and ideas we feel are so important to patients
throughout the country facing end-of-life care. This is an award for everyone involved with the West Coast
Center for Palliative Education and Research, and we hope the success of our program helps inspire others
in this area,” said Meyers.
Cardiologist Honored
Reginald Low, chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the UC Davis School of
Medicine and Medical Center, received the “Heart of Gold” award from the Sacramento division
of the American Heart Association earlier this year.
The “Heart of Gold” award is bestowed every year upon individuals or organizations that have
made major contributions in the fields of heart disease and stroke. Low was selected for the honor for
being a key figure in advancing Sacramento as a center for the research and treatment of cardiovascular
disease. Low’s research focuses on oronary artery disease and developing minimally invasive methods
of diagnosis and treatment.
New Ophthalmology Chair
Mark J. Mannis, an authority on corneal disease and refractive surgery and a faculty member
of the UC Davis Medical Center and School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology for 21 years, is the
new department chair. He succeeds John Keltner, who is stepping down after serving in the position for
26 years.
Mannis is also director of the ophthalmology department's Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery
Service, and serves as medical director of the Sierra Regional Eye and Tissue Donor Services in Sacramento.
Pediatrician Named 'Fellow'
Caroline Chantry, medical director of the normal newborn nursery at UC Davis Medical Center
and Children’s Hospital, is among the first physicians awarded fellowship status in the Academy of
Breastfeeding Medicine, a worldwide organization of physicians dedicated to the promotion, protection
and support of breastfeeding and human lactation.
Martin Named to Advisory Post on NASA Body
R. Bruce Martin, holder of the Doris Linn Chair of Bone Biology and director of the Orthopaedic
Research Laboratories at UC Davis Medical Center, has been named to the External Advisory Council for
the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. Funded by NASA, the institute studies health risks related
to long-duration space flight. The external advisory council advises institute management on strategic
issues and programmatic effectiveness.
Martin's research has been funded by grants from NASA as well as the National Institutes of Health. Central
to his research interests are osteoporosis and the problems that astronauts face with bone loss in space.
Myasthenia Gravis Foundation Honors
UC Davis neurologist and researcher Mark Agius was named "Doctor of the Year" at the annual
conference of the national Myasthenia Gravis Foundation in Daytona Beach earlier this year. The award
recognizes a physician who has made an extraordinary effort to lead the conquest of myasthenia gravis.
Agius chairs the foundation's medical/scientific advisory board, which promotes research and education
for the foundation. The advisory board peer reviews grant applications, produces and reviews educational
material, and develops and reviews standards for quantita- tive measurements of disease for clinical studies.
The advisory board also organizes an annual national scientific meeting as well as an international scientific
conference every five years.
Agius and four other UC Davis researchers were also honored at the state level with an Excellence in
Research by the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation in California. The other neurologists were Constance Bowe,
Ricardo Maselli and David Richman, and neuroscientist Robert Fairclough.
Oncology Nurse Honored
Mary Tegan, UC Davis Medical Center oncology nurse specialist, received the DAISY Foundation's
Award For Extraordinary Nurses. The award, established and directed by patients and their families, recognizes
the compassionate care and excep- tional efforts of nurses working in hospitals and other health- care
settings throughout the nation.
"We are proud to be among the hospitals recognized by the DAISY Award program," said Robinson, senior
associate of patient care services at UC Medical Center. "Mary is a great nurse. She cares, listens to
her patients, and meets both their medical and emotional needs in so many ways. Whether it's a patient
special foods, creating 'dark room' time each day to promote serenity, using her quiet, well-modulated
voice to calm patients' fears, or giving patients choices as much as possible how their day is structured,
Mary helps cancer patients feel less vulnerable and in control. We lucky to have nurses like Mary at UC
Davis and appreciate the efforts of the DAISY Foundation for recognizing superb nursing care."
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