Penn State Health employees, teams nominated as 2021 Health Care Heroes finalists
Thirteen Penn State Health employees and teams have been named finalists in Central Penn Business Journal’s (CPBJ) 2021 Health Care Heroes awards program. They were nominated by peers and the magazine’s readers for making a significant positive impact on the quality of health care for central Pennsylvania families.
The winners will be selected by an independent panel of judges and announced at the virtual awards event on May 27. All winners will be featured in CPBJ’s Health Care Heroes magazine and on the CPBJ website.
Additionally, Donald Hirsch, emergency medical services liaison and emergency outreach coordinator at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center, was nominated in the Lehigh Valley Business (LVB) 2021 Health Care Heroes awards as a COVID-19 Hero. The winners of that awards program will be announced on June 1.
The following have been named finalists of the CPBJ 2021 Health Care Heroes awards program:
Community Outreach
- Pediatric Trauma Injury Prevention Program
Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
Represented by Shannon DePatto and Emmy Sasala, health educators
COVID-19 Hero
- Allison Polinski, director of Quality and Patient Safety
Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center
- Child Life Program
Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
Represented by Ashley Kane, Child Life manager
Health Care Specialties Hero
- Music Therapy Team
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
- Ashutosh Kumar, pediatric neurologist and assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology
Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
- Duane Williams, pediatric critical care medicine specialist and medical director, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
Health Professional Hero
- Jaime Bashore Long, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery specialist
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Lifetime Achievement Hero
- Robert Aber, senior advisor to the Dean; professor, Department of Medicine; physician and administrator
Penn State Health
- Cheston Berlin, pediatrician; professor of pediatrics (primary care); university professor of pediatrics and professor of pharmacology
Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
Mental Health Caregiver Hero
- Jennifer Stoner, MA, clinical psychiatric specialist/clinical counselor
Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
Nurse Hero
- Elisha Peregino, CRNP, pediatric neurosurgery nurse practitioner
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Physician Hero
- Nicole Osevala, geriatrician; interim chief, Division of Geriatric Medicine; medical director, Penn State Health Post-Acute Care Service; and South Central Regional Congregate Care Assistance Team lead
Penn State Health
- Erika Saunders, psychiatrist; Shively-Tan professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
Penn State Neuroscience Institute, Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine
See the complete lists of finalists:
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