The Hospice Foundation of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Community Foundation have announced five nursing students and one medical student as recipients of the 2021 Khader K. Hussein Awards in Palliative Care. Each student will receive a $2,000 award.
The Hospice Foundation of Oklahoma was established as an affiliated fund of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 1997. Two years later, the board created the Khader K. Hussein Awards in Palliative Care to honor the contributions of Dr. Hussein and his wife, Cecilia, and recognize students who have demonstrated an interest in palliative and hospice care.
Dr. Hussein, one of the top oncology physicians in the city and a leader in the field of palliative and hospice care, helped launch the Central Oklahoma Cancer Center at Southwest Medical Student and has mentored countless medical and nursing students. He has also served as volunteer medical director for Hospice of Oklahoma County and board member at the Hospice Foundation of Oklahoma.
“It is an honor to receive this award,” said Amy Nix Smith, a 2021 award recipient from Oklahoma City University’s Kramer School of Nursing. “It will help me continue my education as I plan to go forward with my doctorate and try to publish my capstone project on nurse-led bereavement.”
The 2021 Khader K. Hussein Awards in Palliative Care recipients are:
- Indigo Deberry – University of Oklahoma School of Medicine
- David Donner – University of Central Oklahoma Department of Nursing
- Holly Dungan – Southern Nazarene University School of Nursing
- Amber Johnson – Langston University Department of Nursing
- Amy Nix Smith – Oklahoma City University Kramer School of Nursing
- Crystal Stewart – University of Oklahoma Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing