UCDHSC Doctors Recognized by Champions in Health Care Awards

E. David Crawford, MD, a researcher and professor at UCDHSC, was honored as health care provider of the year by the Denver Business Journal’s Champions in Health Care Awards.

Two other UCDHSC faculty members were finalists for the awards, Stuart Kassan, MD, clinical professor of medicine, as Physician of the Year and Spero Manson, PhD, professor of psychiatry and head of the American Indian and Alaska Native Program, as Lifetime Champion.

The Champions in Health Care awards honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the medical community. Awards were given in seven categories: lifetime champion, community outreach, innovator, manager, nurse, physician and provider. UCDHSC Faculty members were represented in three of these categories.

Crawford was awarded for his significant accomplishments in the promotion of early detection of prostate cancer. He has dedicated himself to raising awareness of the benefits of early detection. By founding the Prostate Education Council, which later evolved into Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, he has been able to realize his goal of making free to low-cost screenings available to the public.

Prostate cancer is most effectively treated when detected in the early stages. When Crawford began his work with the program, most cases of prostate cancer were presented late, thereby diminishing the chance for successful treatment. Since the program’s inception, presentations of advanced prostate cancer have dropped by 60 percent.

Crawford serves as chair of the Urologic Oncology Section, and is director of the Clinical Cancer Unit at UCDHSC.

Book proceeds to benefit Center for Bioethics and Humanities
A Denver physician and author will donate proceeds from the sale of his new book about medical dilemmas to the UCDHSC Center for Bioethics and Humanities.

The book, Doctors on the Edge: Will Your Doctor Break the Rules for You?, was authored by Fredrick R. Abrams, MD, and already has been praised by other physicians and those working in the field of bioethics.

“ I never knew a bioethics book could be a real page turner – but this was. These stories portray the wisdom and compassion of a talented and, at times, heroic physician, the kind we should all be so lucky to encounter in our times of illness,” wrote Mark Yarborough, PhD, an associate professor and director of the bioethics center, in a review of the book.

“ I am both honored and humbled that Dr. Abrams will donate his profits from the book to the Center for Bioethics and Humanities. Dr. Abrams has been a powerful, steadfast, and articulate champion for the field of bioethics, so it is a true honor for our center to be the recipient of his generosity and dedication,” Yarborough said.

Abrams, who is now retired from practice, specialized in obstetrics and gynecology for more than 40 years and served as chair of the ethics committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

For more information about Abrams’ book, visit http://www.sentientpublications.com, and to learn more about the UCDHSC Center for Bioethics and Humanities visit http://www.uchsc.edu

School of Public Health receives gift
A gift of $750,000 has been designated to establish The Colorado Trust Endowment for the John R. Moran, Jr. Scholarship Fund for the UCDHSC School of Public Health, when the school is established.

The School of Public Health will be a collaborative partnership between the University of Colorado, Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado. In the event the School of Public Health is not established, the fund will be applied toward scholarships for students in the UCDHSC School of Medicine.

The gift will provide ongoing scholarship support for students enrolled in health care services programs beginning in 2008.

The gift to the School of Public Health was part of a total $2 million gift divided among UCDHSC, Regis University’s School of Public Health, and to establish a leadership award with The Colorado Trust in recognition of John R. Moran, Jr., for his long-time leadership of The Colorado Trust and his devotion to improving the health and well-being of people across the state. Moran will retire as president and CEO from The Colorado Trust in November.

http://www.uchsc.edu