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Washington, D.C. — Jane Ingham, MB BS, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine and Director of the Palliative Care Program at the Lombardi Cancer Center, was one of 47 physicians nationwide to be nominated by medical students for the 2000 Associations of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Humanism in Medicine Award.
The AAMC Humanism in Medicine Award, which is sponsored by the AAMC and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative, annually honors medical school faculty physicians who "embody the finest qualities of a healer and teacher." Honorees were nominated by the AAMC Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) based on five defining characteristics of humanism in medical education: positive mentoring skills, compassion and sensitivity, collaboration, community-service activity, and observance of professional ethics.
"Palliative care is an emerging specialty here in the United States, and I am thrilled that the medical students recognized my program in this way," Dr Ingham said. "The fact that they are noticing the importance of this aspect of care means a great deal to me."
In nominating Dr. Ingham, Georgetown students pointed out her optimism, realism, sensitivity and tireless devotion to the field of palliative care--a program Ingham founded here at Lombardi Cancer Center that has flourished under her direction.
"[Dr. Ingham] puts her patients above all else," wrote John Deeken, M '01, in a letter to the selection committee. "She expends tremendous time and energy in taking care of all aspects of patients' needs--from pain control to emotional concerns to proper living arrangements to the well-being of the family caregivers of her patients."
The goal of the Palliative Care Program at the Lombardi Cancer Center is to help patients and their families to achieve the highest-possible quality of life throughout every stage of illness. The palliative care team works collaboratively with, and seeks to draw together, the many experts in the cancer center necessary to achieve this goal. While pain management is frequently a focus of their efforts for patients who battle against cancer and other chronic diseases, the team looks broadly at the impact of illness and explores practical, psychological, social and spiritual approaches to promoting quality of life for patients and families.
Dr Ingham received her medical degree in her native Sydney, Australia, and spent four years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before establishing the Palliative Care Program at Lombardi in 1996.
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