Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Dr. Kathryn Rice Receives Medical Staff Award for Clinical Excellence
September 22, 2010
The eighth annual Medical Staff Award for Clinical Excellence was awarded to DR. KATHRYN RICE, a pulmonologist who provides care in the MICU, pulmonary consult service and in our outpatient clinics. The presentation was made by Chief of Staff Dr. Jack Drucker on Sept. 16 during a meeting of the medical staff. The award recognizes a member of the medical staff who provides outstanding clinical care by demonstrating excellence in all aspects of clinical care, outstanding personal and professional qualities, and commitment to the interdisciplinary care of the patient. In the words of those who nominated her:
“Dr. Rice is a compassionate physician who is down-to-earth, practical, and has a great sense of humor. She is a strong patient advocate and her interpersonal skills make her an effective leader. . . .It is easy for people to approach Dr. Rice with problems and ideas for solving them. During her many years at this medical center, Dr. Rice has consistently shown her dedication to veterans—through the high quality of care she provides, her attention to detail, and her willingness to tackle tough improvement projects. She developed a chronic disease management program for COPD that is nationally recognized and published. She was instrumental in the creation of our Respiratory Care Services Department and lung nodule tracking program. . . .Dr. Rice is an outstanding clinician who has dedicated her professional life to the VA. Once she has identified a problem she is tireless in her pursuit of a solution. It is time for her accomplishments and contributions to be recognized!”
Over 50 employees thoughtfully took the time to nominate 14 other members of the medical staff for this award. We wish to also recognize these nominees:
Eric Affeldt, D.P.M., Podiatry, Specialty Care PSL
Mark Burke, M.D., Community Living Center, EC&R PSL
Elizabeth Fazendin, M.D., Physical Medicine and Rehab Clinic, EC&R PSL
Greg Filice, M.D., Infectious Disease, Primary Care PSL
Pankaj Gupta, M.D., Heme/Onc, Primary Care PSL
Thomas D. Hurwitz, MD., Psychiatry, Mental Health PSL
Gerhard Johnson, M.D., Heme/Onc, Primary Care PSL
Clyde Markon, M.D., Director, Twin Ports CBOC, Primary Care PSL
Riley McCarten, M.D., GRECC, EC&R PSL
Andreas Ostenso, M.D., Medicine Clinic, Primary Care
Alan Serposs, M.D., Psychiatry, Mental Health PSL
Rizwan Siddiqui, M.D., Cardiac Cath Lab, Primary Care PSL
Robert Swenson, M.D., Hayward CBOC, Primary Care PSL
Melissa West, M.D., Community Living Center, EC&R PSL
Dr. Rice—and her fellow nominees—stand for the skilled and compassionate care that each member of our medical staff provides to veterans on a daily basis. Please join us in thanking them for their dedication to the mission of this medical center.
