Press Releases

ATLANTA —April 21, 2011—Eleven outstanding cancer care providers from a variety of backgrounds and regions have been chosen to receive the 2011 American Cancer Society Lane W. Adams Quality of Life Award, a prestigious national prize for cancer caregiving. The Lane W. Adams Quality of Life Award recognizes individuals who have made a difference through innovation, leadership, and consistent excellence in providing compassionate, skilled care and counsel to persons living with cancer and their families. The awards will be presented in a ceremony in Atlanta on Thursday, May 12, 2011. This year, the Society honors:

• Richard L. Deming, M.D., radiation oncologist and medical director, Mercy Cancer Center, Des Moines, Iowa. Dr. Deming is known for his enthusiasm, dedication and persistence in the fight against cancer both in his community and with his patients. Providing his patients with as many resources as he can, Dr. Deming also makes a point to refer every one of his patients to American Cancer Society programs and services. Dr. Deming also recently led a group of cancer survivors to Mount Everest in Nepal as part of an event called “Above & Beyond: Cancer Survivors Trek to Everest,” in order to demonstrate the adversity that cancer survivors face.

• Karen Haughey, R.N., O.C.N., clinical nurse, Alliance Hematology/ Oncology, Westminster, Md. Ms. Haughey is described as a very dedicated and compassionate caregiver, and is known to spend hours on the phone to a patient or caregiver who is struggling. She encourages her patients and their families to celebrate life and to surround themselves with others who have battled this disease for support.

• Kim Jensen, L.C.S.W., O.S.W.-C., oncology social worker, Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Hts, Ill. Although Ms. Jensen’s primary responsibilities are to provide crisis counseling to patients and their families, she is very well known for focusing on every newly diagnosed patient and the resources they need to get through treatment and beyond. She is known for her caring nature, and her commitment to her patients.

• The late John R. McClelland, Jr., oncology outreach volunteer, Wayne, Pa. After Mr. McClelland’s diagnosis of colon cancer in 2007, he was inspired by the excellence in medical care and the compassion from his medical team. By combining his talents in business with his understanding of a cancer patient, Mr. McClelland was able to inspire many other cancer patients as a passionate advocate for palliative care.

• María del Carmen Pacheco Nazario, M.A. E.D., L.C.P.C., C.M., professional counselor, Loaiza Cordero del Rosario High School, Puerto Rico. Ms. Pacheco Nazario has been an American Cancer Society volunteer in Puerto Rico for nine years. As a breast cancer survivor, Ms. Pacheco Nazario encourages, supports and comforts every cancer patient she encounters, and is known to accompany patients to diagnostic visits.

• Ellen F. Parks, R.N., O.C.N., C.N.I.V., nurse clinician, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. As a nurse clinician at Duke, Ms. Parks goes above and beyond her duties to help patients individually. She considers her patients friends, and really strives to help every patient get the best care that they need. Ms. Parks also revitalized her local Society Road to Recovery program so that her patients could complete their treatments and participate in other Society programs.

• Joseph G. Pressey, M.D., director, developmental therapeutics, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Pressey is known for his very professional and personal care of his patients. His compassion and dedication make him a wonderful resource and friend for cancer patients and their families.

• Janine D. Primomo, R.N, M.S.N., nurse manager, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, Helotes, TX. Ms. Primomo has been an American Cancer Society volunteer for 27 years, and has played a very important role in the lives of pediatric cancer patients at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital. She is seen as an innovator, leader and role model among her staff, and as a positive and encouraging nurse to her patients.

• Richard Siefke, M.S.W., social worker, Sutter Solano Medical Center, Vallejo, Calif. In addition to being a passionate oncology social worker, Mr. Siefke is also a very active volunteer in the cancer community. He is described as a very compassionate and caring individual, and always finds a way to help any cancer patient or caregiver in need.

• Christina M. Tafe, M.S.N., A.C.N.P.-B.C., C.C.R.N., A.C.H.P.N., nurse practitioner, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. In her role as a clinical palliative care nurse practitioner, Ms. Tafe has coordinated an exceptional interdisciplinary teaching program at Georgetown University designed to better understand the patients’ experience with a life-threatening illness. She truly has a drive to deliver quality, compassionate care for patients, and serves as a wonderful role model to all who know her.

• Shelby A. Terstriep, M.D., oncologist and medical director, Sanford Health Roger Maris Cancer Center, Fargo, N.D. Dr. Terstriep demonstrates excellence in caregiving through her work as an oncologist who has established an oncology outreach clinic in her community, and as a role model for her colleagues in areas of leadership, public education, program development, and research. She is willing to go above and beyond to improve care for cancer patients.

“Going above and beyond the call of duty to extend the ‘warm hand of service’ to cancer patients is very important to these remarkable individuals,” said Edward E. Partridge, M.D., national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society. “These extraordinary awardees deserve to be recognized for their efforts to provide hope to those touched by cancer, and for helping us create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.”

Individuals like this year’s Lane Adams recipients are critical to helping the American Cancer Society save lives from cancer. The Society has recognized cancer caregivers through the Lane Adams Quality of Life Award since 1988. The awards advisory group includes longtime national Society volunteers, including Vicki Adams Quan, the daughter of Lane W. Adams, the former executive vice president of the Society who coined the term the “warm hand of service” and made attention to compassionate care a legacy of his service.

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end cancer for good. As a global grassroots force of three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping you stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early, helping you get well by being there for you during and after a diagnosis, by finding cures through groundbreaking discovery and fighting back through public policy. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Claire Greenwell
American Cancer Society
Phone: (404) 417-5883
Email: claire.greenwell@cancer.org