This special virtual ceremony, which celebrated Dr. Ruby Mendenhall, the 2021 recipient of the Pearl Birnbaum Hurwitz Humanism in Healthcare Award, was held on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022.
Gold President and CEO Dr. Richard I. Levin presented Dr. Mendenhall with her award, which was then followed by a conversation with Dr. Don Berwick and a live Q&A with Dr. Mendenhall and the audience.
Dr. Mendenhall is a visionary leader and interdisciplinary researcher who has galvanized students, faculty, community groups, and citizen scientists to advance the shared quest for a more equitable, healthy and just world for all. Dr. Mendenhall, MPP, PhD, is the Kathryn Lee Baynes Dallenbach Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Associate Dean for Diversity and Democratization of Health Innovation at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.
She is also the Co-Director of STEM Illinois and the Director of the medical school’s new Health Maker Lab node (Designing Resiliency and Well-being).
The Pearl Birnbaum Hurwitz Humanism in Healthcare Award is presented annually to a woman who exemplifies humanism and has advanced, through her scholarship, advocacy, leadership or work, the well-being of underserved populations in the healthcare arena. This honor was established in 2014 through a generous gift from Dr. Ronald Arky, Daniel D. Federman Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at the Harvard Medical School.
The award is named in memory of Pearl Birnbaum Hurwitz (1907-1993) , a leader in the movement to provide services and support for children with disabilities and their families and the founding President of the Arc of Massachusetts.
