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Dr.
Sarah Kagan is among 24 distinguished
men and women chosen by the MacArthur
Foundation to receive an unconditional award
of $500,000. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation choses talented individuals with exceptional
creativity, promise and potential for this fellowship,
popularly called the "Genius Award." Sarah
is only the second nurse in history to receive this
award, the first being Dr. Ruth Lubic, who is also
a Penn alumna.
Upon
learning that she had received the MacArthur Fellowship,
Dr. Kagan was stunned. "I am mystified by the
tremendous honor and the responsibility I believe
comes with it," Kagan says. "I hope it
brings great visibility to nurses who dedicate their
lives to working with older adults."
Sarah
Kagan, PhD, RN, Associate Professor of Gerontological
Nursing, and Doris R. Schwartz Term Professor in
Gerontological Nursing, joined the Penn Nursing
School in 1994 after receiving her Ph.D. from UC/San
Francisco. At Penn she has two clinical appointments.
Dr. Kagan's primary clinical appointment is as a
Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist in Medical
Nursing at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,
where she offers advanced nursing consultation to
patients, their families, nurses, and physicians
on the complex needs of older adults related to
their hospitalization for acute or chronic illness.
Dr. Kagan's secondary faculty appointment is in
the Department of Otorhinolaryngology: Head and
Neck Surgery, where she consults on clinical research
and the management of patients who have head and
neck cancers and are suffering complex wounds and
other symptoms.
The
Nursing Excellence Award from The Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania (1996), the Lindback
Award for Distinguished Teaching, University of
Pennsylvania (1998), a visiting professorship at
the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Medicine
Department of Nursing Studies (August 2001), and
the Minorities in Nursing Organization's Distinguished
Faculty Award for Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
(2003) demonstrate the many ways which those around
her are touched by Sarah's approach to teaching,
mentorship, and to the excellence in her scholarship.
She is held in high esteem by students and peers
alike.
Thus it didn't surprise anyone who knows her well
to hear that Sarah, "hardly acted like someone
who would soon have half a million dollars to use
any way she wished. At 6:45 a.m., Kagan was at work
at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,
changing dressings and seeing elderly patients who
had just gone through cancer surgery. Colleagues
did insist later, however, on toasting her with
champagne." (The
Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/7)
Sarah
Kagan wants to change the way medical professionals
approach and treat elderly cancer patients. Kagan
will use her award to take a sabbatical from teaching
at Penn's nursing school so that she can write about
elderly care and to promote nursing. Kagan has written
extensively on cancer and elderly, including a book,
Older Adults Coping with Cancer: Integrating
Cancer into a Life Mostly Lived.
Contact
Sarah Kagan at skagan@nursing.upenn.edu
| Sarah
Kagan and the MacArthur Award |
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"
Let's all join in congratulating
Dr. Sarah Kagan for receiving the most fantastic
honor of being named a MacArthur Fellow. This
awards brings with it accolades and acknowledgement
of Dr. Kagan's accomplishments as a clinical
scholar who exemplifies an expert clinician
who utilizes, translates, and evaluates best
practices in caring for the elderly with cancer."
Afaf
I. Meleis, PhD, DrPS(hon), FAAN
Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing
University of Pennsylvania
School of Nursing
***
"
Congratulations,
Sarah,
on this incredible honor which recognizes
your uniquely creative combination of nursing
practice, clinical scholarship, exquisite
and dedicated teaching, and the most compassionate
patient care."
Neville
E. Strumpf, PhD, RN, C, FAAN
Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor in Gerontology,
and Director of the Hartford Center of Geriatric
Nursing Excellence
***
"
Where would
medical care in America be without nurses?
On life support probably. Yet these heroes
of the hospital, the doctor's office and
the community health center remain unsung,
underpaid and overworked.
Hooray,
then, for Sarah Kagan. Not only because
she is a super nurse but also because her
dedication and commitment have earned her
an award that brings glory to her entire
profession.
"
The
Philadelphia Inquirer
***
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