A legacy of ingenuity, philanthropy and empowerment
A legacy of ingenuity, philanthropy and empowerment
The HCA Healthcare family is privileged to honor those among us who showed up in remarkable ways for their patients and communities this year.
At HCA Healthcare, we are fundamentally in the people business. Caring for our patients and communities starts with you — the colleagues who bring our mission to life. We are who we are because of you. And every year, we have the opportunity to celebrate those among us who truly embody our purpose and values.
The prestigious annual HCA Healthcare Awards of Distinction ceremony is dedicated to honoring the service of some of our most extraordinary colleagues.
View a recording of the 2023 HCA Healthcare Awards of Distinction ceremony hosted on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at our corporate headquarters in Nashville, Tenn.
As Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr., is often quoted as saying, “Good people beget good people.” HCA Healthcare’s incredible pool of talent is made up of individuals who are actively advancing the healthcare field. Whether through innovative ideas, extraordinary acts of kindness or a selfless commitment to the well-being of others, this year’s honorees are making an indelible impact on the lives around them.
Meet each of this year’s HCA Healthcare Awards of Distinction finalists and recipients.
Colleagues describe Judy as selfless, composed, knowledgeable, driven and exceptionally engaged in her work. She’s also described as the “Picasso of data,” creating art from numbers.
Judy, the coordinator for Perinatal Quality at St. David’s Women’s Center of Texas, created a data dashboard that allows her team to accurately predict the number of deliveries and admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and track transports, C/S rates, micropreemie admissions and lengths of stays.
Her team can monitor progress daily, set goals and proactively predict activity in many areas that are key to their success, says Karen Haritakis, associate chief nursing officer at St. David’s Women’s Center of Texas. They can plan staffing and monitor progress in real time, she says.
“[Judy’s] incredible ability to collect and analyze data and then portray it in a more comprehensive, creative and easy-to-understand way is a skill I have never seen in anyone else,” says Diana Wang, MD, FACOG.
Faridah’s kindness and passion for nursing were immediately noted at The Harley Street Clinic in 2016, and she was soon promoted to senior staff nurse. Colleagues say Faridah always spoke fondly of her family in her native Uganda.
When her son Fahad was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2018, she sent medical equipment to support him and other palliative care patients in Uganda. Fahad was just 25 when he died in 2021.
The following year, Faridah built a four-room school with dormitories for orphaned children in Uganda to honor Fahad’s dream of teaching. She also sent books and uniforms to the school.
Oncology and Cardiac Matron Diarmuid Bennett calls Faridah a role model to her colleagues.
“What Faridah does inside and outside of work is truly commendable. She has a big heart to help her colleagues and her community,” she says.
Dr. Hassan’s journey to his role as president of Joseph M. Still Burn Centers Inc. and chief global officer of Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America brought him halfway around the globe.
The son of a high school principal in a remote village in Bangladesh, Dr. Hassan attended Cadet College and medical school before coming to the U.S. Upon arrival, he worked as a dishwasher and then as a cook at a Bengali restaurant in New York.
Today, his humanitarian efforts are global. He built and supports a girls high school in his village and also oversees a project to build latrines for every household there. He treats critically ill burn patients from around the world, many of whom are indigent.
Hasanali Fatteh, MD, an ophthalmologist for the burn unit at Doctors Hospital of Augusta, says his respect for Dr. Hassan is both professional and personal.
“He is an intelligent and caring physician, but to me, he is one of the nicest human beings I have ever known,” he says.
It was clear that Mark had a special way with people from his very first day as a volunteer greeter at Medical City Dallas, Lynda Kirby recalls. Lynda, the hospital’s manager of guest and volunteer services, says Mark quickly assesses any situation and calmly provides immediate assistance.
He’s racked up 5,900 service hours over 14 years and now serves as a volunteer supervisor. Mark also serves as parliamentarian on the board of directors for the Medical City Dallas Auxiliary and plays the role of Santa in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during the holidays.
“Mark is always searching for opportunities to help improve the patient and guest experience across our facility’s campuses,” Lynda says.
Away from the hospital, Mark teaches tai chi, performs in church productions and serves meals at a local shelter. He and his wife, Carla, also volunteer with the nonprofit 22Kill, a mental health initiative for veterans.
Lee is passionate about helping new nurses and patient care techs feel more confident in their roles. He developed a mentorship program to provide additional support for nursing students, novice nurses and patient care techs and developed Colleton Medical Center’s nurse extern program. He also successfully cross-trained his staff to cover multiple areas, creating a fully mobile workforce. He identifies leadership potential in new nurses and patient care techs and guides them through their career journeys.
He’s known for his ever-present smile, community volunteerism and readiness to help anyone whenever needed.
“He treats each member of our team like family and leaves his office open for communication,” says Virginia Sherry, CMC. “He will often ask, ‘What can I do to help?’ instead of questioning why a task is not complete. You will often find Lee in the busiest areas providing help.”
From bringing patients to the hospital’s holiday tree-lighting ceremony to organizing bridal showers and celebrating birthdays, Jean ensures that each patient feels special. And when a colleague became an oncology patient, Jean worked overtime to comfort and care for her.
Colleagues say Jean epitomizes compassionate care. Her empathy for and devotion to patients were evident even when she was a StaRn new grad at Sky Ridge Medical Center. A high-performing nurse and recipient of numerous Daisy Awards and accolades, Jean has advanced to her current role of nurse manager in the surgical/oncology unit.
“She epitomizes what it means to deliver compassionate care with her warm smile, supportive nature, ability to uncover patient needs before they even know them, and reassuring words to both patients and their loved ones,” says Kirk McCarty, president and CEO of Sky Ridge Medical Center.
Innovators Award Finalist
Annabelle Neame
HCA Healthcare UK
London, U.K.
Founded the HCA Healthcare UK Concierge Centre, London’s first and only
Medical Concierge CQC-registered center.
Innovators Award Finalist
Tamara Lords, BSN, RN, CFRN
Center for Clinical Advancement
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Grew the use of mannequins in teaching removal of catheter femoral sheaths, managing bleeding, and defibrillation and CPR after open-heart surgery.
Frist Humanitarian Award Finalist, Physician Category
Samuel A. Joseph, Jr., MD
HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital
Tampa, Fla.
Leading expert on spinal deformities, pioneering endoscopic approaches to spinal surgery, specializing in surgical revision; local and international philanthropist.
Frist Humanitarian Award Finalist, Physician Category
Amber Stein, MD
Chippenham Hospital
Richmond, Va.
Leads pediatric anesthesia team, compassionate caregiver and teacher; has traveled overseas for pediatric anesthesia missions for past 20 years.
Frist Humanitarian Award Finalist, Volunteer Category
Carolyn Icard
St. David’s Medical Center
Austin, Texas
NICU cuddler, front desk aide, Meals on Wheels volunteer, dedicated church member and companion to widows.
Frist Humanitarian Award Finalist, Volunteer Category
Ed Kast
Chippenham Hospital
Richmond, Va.
Pre-admission testing volunteer since 2005, logged 5,500+ service hours, blood donor (15+ gallons), Neighborhood Watch, litter collector, tai chi instructor.
Frist Humanitarian Award Finalist, Employee Category
Leonardo Escobedo, RN
Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center
Las Vegas, Nev.
Exceptional leader, mentor and trauma patient advocate; pastor, life coach and youth leader; takes food, water and toiletries to those staying in local parks.
Frist Humanitarian Award Finalist, Employee Category
Sean Murphy, BSN, RN, CFRN
Alaska Regional Hospital
Anchorage, Alaska
Local and state emergency medical preparedness and healthcare coalitions; federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team, taking part in 20 deployments across the U.S. and Haiti.
Excellence in Nursing Award Finalist, Compassionate Care Category
Hector Belardo, BSN, RN
TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center
Nashville, Tenn.
Preceptor, mentor and team advocate, regularly commends fellow colleagues; offers emotional and spiritual bedside support to patients and families.
Excellence in Nursing Award Finalist, Compassionate Care Category
Shakira Robledo, RN
HCA Florida JFK North Hospital
West Palm Beach, Fla.
Helped spearhead protocols and policies to streamline stroke alerts and decreased hurdles for ER walk-ins; patient and empathetic mentor/ preceptor.
Excellence in Nursing Award Finalist,
Professional Mentorship Category
Jennifer Cavanagh, RN, RN-BC
HCA Florida Brandon Hospital
Brandon, Fla.
Kind and compassionate certified preceptor who wanted to be a nurse since childhood; nurse volunteer/teacher for elementary students.
Excellence in Nursing Award Finalist, Compassionate Care Category
Krista Hansen, RN, CMSRN
St. David’s South Austin Medical Center
Austin, Texas
Above and beyond: reconnected dying patient with estranged family; found home for his cat; took supplies to elderly discharged patient during ice storm.
