Pediatric physician and nurse get lifetime achievement awards from the Illinois Department of Public Health

In a surprise meeting Wednesday, May 18, Steven Lelyveld, MD, and Cassandra O'Brien, RN, BSN, CEN, CPEN, both received the Ron W. Lee Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in pediatric care from the Illinois Department of Public Health. "You don't know how many miracles you create in people's lives every day," said IDPH director Damon Arnold, MD, as he presented the awards. "Yours must be in the millions."

The work and influence of Lelyveld and O'Brien extend far beyond the emergency rooms at the University of Chicago. They teach pediatric advanced life support programs to physicians, nurses, and first responders all over Illinois. "Outcomes for children when they get sick, ride in an ambulance and come to an ER have improved," Lelyveld said. "We're making sure all ERs across the state have the right people, equipment and training to treat kids." Illinois is now in the top three states in the country for emergency pediatric outcomes.

Arnold noted Lelyveld's 30-year career of clinical practice, leadership, teaching and publications when presenting him with the award. "He is a dedicated physician who goes above and beyond by continually striving to promote excellence in pediatric care," Arnold said. Lelyveld is the former chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and is currently the medical director of Occupational Medicine at the University of Chicago and associate professor of medicine and pediatrics.

The award is named for a pioneer in emergency care for children in Illinois. Seeing a need to improve the emergency care of children, Ron W. Lee, MD, former chief of Emergency Medicine at Loyola University Medical Center, pushed for the creation of the Illinois Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC). Over the past 25 years the EMSC has developed guidelines for care of children, and a system of hospital and ER recognition so the public could be assured that children receive the best treatments available. When Lee died in 1998, the Illinois EMSC established the annual Ron W. Lee Excellence in Pediatric Care Awards to honor those who have committed themselves to further this cause. This is the first time that a physician or a nurse from the University of Chicago Medicine has received the award.

Colleagues, friends and family of both O'Brien and Lelyveld came to a surprise luncheon in a hospital conference room on Wednesday to celebrate the lifetime achievement awards. Lelyveld was nominated by Ira Blumen, MD, professor of emergency medicine, who said Lelyveld's dedication to educating people on how to take care of children made him the logical choice. "Nothing is more stressful to some ER physicians who normally take care of adults than seeing a sick kid. The more education you can give to emergency paramedics, nurses and physicians on how to take care of critical pediatric patients, the better the patient will be when they finally come into the hospital."

O'Brien's colleagues were equally enthusiastic about the contributions she has made for improving the care of the smallest and most fragile patients. "She is by far one of the leaders in pediatric emergency medicine in Illinois," said Laura Eggers, RN, BS, who nominated O'Brien for the award. "She volunteers a lot of her personal time teaching pediatric emergency medicine to people who need it."

O'Brien has traveled to military bases all over the country and all over the world, teaching Army, Navy, and Air Force nurses the basics of emergency medicine for children. "Children are brought to the military bases and combat support hospitals in the war zones, and the medics aren't generally trained to treat them," O'Brien said. Taking care of critically injured children in war-torn countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, without much public health infrastructure, has become a way for the soldiers to earn the trust of the people they're trying to protect. The Department of Defense relies on the expertise of volunteers like O'Brien to teach pediatric emergency medicine to the men and women on the front lines.

Arnold said he was particularly grateful to O'Brien for volunteering for the armed services. "I am a retired combat veteran, and I want to personally thank you for what you do for our service members," he said.

May 2011