Dr. Kagan, MacArthur Fellow
Dr.
Sarah H. Kagan, the Doris
R. Schwartz Term Chair in
Gerontological Nursing,
and associate professor,
has been named as one of
this year's
MacArthur
Fellows. As a
recipient of the so-called "genius
awards" she
will receive a "no-strings
attached" award
of $500,000 over the next
five years.
"I
am mystified by the tremendous
honor and the responsibility
I believe comes attached with
it. I hope it brings great visibility
to nurses who who
dedicate their lives to working
with older adults--both
those who conduct research, but
especially those nurses who daily
put their clinical expertise
to work by caring for older adults
with cancer," said
Dr. Kagan.
Dean
Afaf Meleis said, Dr. Kagan "epitomizes
the commitment of nurses who
blend true scholarship with
the highest humanitarian levels
of
nursing care to produce evidence-based
practice, providing expert care
to vulnerable patients. It is
a very special day for nursing
as well because this award highlights
to significance of what nursing
is for patients and for health
care."
Dr.
Kagan is also a Gerontology Clinical
Nurse Specialist in Medical Nursing
at HUP, 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 appointment is in
the Otorhinolaryngology: Head
and
Neck Surgery, where she consults
on clinical research and the
management of patients who have
cancers and are suffering complex
wounds and other symptoms.
According
to
the
MacArthur
Foundation, "Dr.
Kagan
is a
nurse
scholar
with
a commitment
to clinical
excellence,
a passion
for
original
scholarship,
a dedication
to teaching,
and
a singular
ability
to meld
all
three
in the
interest
of older,
frail,
and
vulnerable
cancer
patients.
In an
era
when
health
care
systems
show
ever-increasing
signs
of strain,
characterized
by
nursing
shortages,
physician
overload,
and
consumer
bewilderment,
Dr.
Kagan
surfaces
as an
energetic
and
creative
countervailing
force.
In Older
Adults Coping with Cancer: Integrating
Cancer into a Life Mostly Lived (1997),
she challenges ingrained preconceptions
about the treatment of older
patients, providing a framework
for understanding their heterogeneity
of responses to cancer."
Dr.
Kagan received an A.B. (1984)
from the University of Chicago,
a B.S. (1986) from Rush University,
and an M.S. (1989) and a Ph.D.
(1994) from the University of
California, San Francisco. |