Donna Lawson Cannon, clinical manager of DeKalb Medical's Cancer Center, went well beyond her job description when she helped a single mother in 2005.
Cannon not only saw that the woman received treatment for breast cancer but also took the patient and her 10-year-old son home for Thanksgiving dinner. Knowing that the woman was unemployed, Cannon also helped her find a job and get back on her feet.
Because of her actions, Cannon won DeKalb Medical's 2007 William H. Thrasher Good Samaritan Award. Named after the hospital system's first administrator, the award is given annually to the employee — nominated by his or her peers — who best models the attitude of the Good Samaritan.
EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE: Myra Carmon, associate professor of nursing and a pediatric nurse practitioner at Georgia State University, received the University Award for Exceptional Service in May. The annual award is presented during commencement to a faculty member selected by his or her peers.
Carmon was cited as an advocate for the medically underserved and uninsured in Georgia for more than 20 years. She has worked to help homeless and low-income families receive basic health screenings and to ensure that Georgia schools are supplied with nurses. She also has lobbied to gain prescriptive authority for nurse practitioners in the state.
Carmon serves on the boards of several health care organizations, including the March of Dimes and the Georgia AIDS Coalition. She is also an advisory board member for Pulse.
TOP PHARMACIST: Judy Gardner, Pharm.D., director of pharmacy at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, was recently named Pharmacist of the Year by the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The award honors outstanding service, accomplishments in practice and contributions to the GSHP.
Gardner, who has worked at Northside Hospital for 19 years, has been involved in many projects, including the addition of pharmacists to patient-care units and the implementation of the Med Direct order transmission system and AdminRX, the hospital's newest safety initiative.
She is president of the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy and is on the boards of directors of the Atlanta Academy of Institutional Pharmacy and the Georgia Pharmacy Association.
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR: The Mercer University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences honored Gina J. Ryan, Pharm.D., with its 2007 Distinguished Educator Award. The award recognizes an outstanding faculty member who has made significant teaching contributions.
Ryan, a clinical assistant professor in the clinical and administrative sciences department, teaches endocrinology and oversees a clinical pharmacy practice at the Grady Health System Diabetes Clinic.
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