2022 IAHPC Individual Recognition Awards Winners

It is with great pleasure that the IAHPC announces the winners of the IAHPC Individual Recognition Awards, which celebrate individuals dedicated to developing and providing palliative care to improve the quality of life for patients with serious health related suffering.

Three individuals working in low, middle-low and high-income countries were selected for the three prizes, each consisting of a US$1000 cash prize and a one-year paid membership to IAHPC.

Photo supplied by Eddie Mwebesa. Used with permission

Dr. Eddie Mwebesa

Dr. Eddie Mwebesa, Clinical Director and the Director of International

Programmes at Hospice Africa Uganda, won the individual Low Income Country award. His nominator, colleague Dr. Agasha Doreen Birungi, described him as “a passionate clinician and a very committed teacher / trainer of palliative care. Dr. Mwebesa has dedicated his life to palliative care and growing the specialty in Uganda and East Africa.

With 18 years of excellent service and still counting, as a leader and a service provider, growing in the specialty, Dr. Mwebesa has demonstrated commitment, passion and a strong desire to advance palliative care in Uganda and Africa as a region.

Photo supplied by Olaitan Soyannwo. Used with permission.

Dr. Olaitan Soyannwo

Dr. Olaitan Soyannwo, President of the Centre for Palliative Care in Nigeria which she co-founded in 2005, won the individual Low-Middle Income Country award. One of her six nominators, Oladayo Afolabi, describes Dr.

Soyannwo as being “at the fore-front of advocacy for palliative care in

Nigeria for more than three decades.”

Her contributions to palliative care include directing the Hospice and

Palliative Care Department at the University College Hospital (UCH),

Ibadan and serving as Professor of Anesthesia and Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. She has advanced palliative care in Africa by promoting education, clinical service delivery, access to opioids, policy making, research and advocacy.

Photo supplied by William Rosa. Used with permission.

Dr. William Rosa

Dr. William Rosa, Chief Research Fellow in Psycho-Oncology, Dept. of Psychiatry

& Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center won the individual High-Income country award. Dr. Judith Paice’s nomination letter said that “his dedicated leadership, mentorship, and organizational service has had both national impact in the U.S. and global impact for colleagues in LMICs… He is a tireless advocate for increasing nurse involvement in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals…”.

For more than a decade, Dr. Rosa has demonstrated sustained excellence in interdisciplinary serious illness and palliative care. His dedicated leadership, mentorship, and organizational service has had both national impact in the U.S. and global impact for colleagues in LMICs.

Liliana De Lima, Executive Director of the IAHPC mentioned “the selection of these amazing individuals is an excellent way to celebrate the relaunching of the IAHPC Recognition Awards Program. We are very grateful with all the nominators and the nominees for their interest in this program and for their contribution and commitment to palliative care in their countries and regions. We are also very grateful with the IAHPC board committee members who served to select the awardees. We received many applications - some of which were excellent candidates - and the committee members had a difficult time selecting the best of them. We look forward to the continuation of this program and recognizing palliative care leaders around the globe.”

Please join the IAHPC in congratulating the 2022 Individual Recognition Award winners.

The IAHPC team