March 10, 2024
The Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC) Medicine has announced the recipients of its leadership and excellence awards for 2024 in partnership with the PALTC24 Annual Conference hosted by AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Dallas Nelson, MD, FACP, CMD, is the 2024 Medical Director of the Year. Lisa Lind, PhD, is the 2024 Clinician of the Year. Alice Bonner, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the 2024 recipient of the William Dodd Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service; and the 2024 James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education goes to Charles Crecelius, MD, PhD, FACP, CMD.
Dr. Nelson is an active medical director, associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester (UR) in New York, director of the UR Medicine Geriatrics Group, chair of the UR Medicine Home Care Board of Directors, president of the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, past president of the New York Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care, and chair of AMDA’s Public Policy Telemedicine Workgroup. During the pandemic, she led efforts to create a COVID-positive unit, enabling the facility to safely take patients from the hospital. This also made it possible for individuals to get out of acute settings faster and to rehab sooner.
Dr. Nelson worked with her team to develop special to-go kits with infusion and intravenous materials to lessen the challenge of initiating a new treatment. She helped form a collaborative of medical directors to develop standards of care for common infections, clinical education, and antibiotic stewardship tools for local skilled nursing facilities. She also participated in the AHRQ COVID-19 Action Network, where she provided knowledge and leadership and updated best practices to share with nursing homes throughout the region.
“This is very meaningful for me,” said Dr. Nelson of winning the award. “It’s so gratifying to get this vote of confidence. It means a great deal to me that my colleagues took the time and effort to nominate me. You don’t get many ‘grades’ when you leave school. This is a nice validation that I am doing the right things.”
Dr. Lind is a board-certified geropsychologist and chief clinical officer at Deer Oaks – The Behavioral Health Solution. An active AMDA member, she is currently chair of the Society’s Behavioral Health Council and a member of the Clinical Practice Steering Committee. She has also contributed articles to both JAMDA and Caring for the Ages.
Of winning this award, Dr. Lind said, “I do what I do because I love it. I never expected I’d be recognized this way, and it’s especially meaningful to be the first psychologist to receive this award. It says a lot about how far we’ve come in this field and how much progress we’ve made.”
Dr. Bonner is senior advisor for aging at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and chair of the Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition. She is also an adjunct faculty member at The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. A long-time AMDA member, Dr. Bonner has published in both JAMDA and Caring for the Ages, and she has been a popular speaker at annual conferences.
Honored to receive the award named for AMDA’s founder, she said, “When you are thinking about the number of projects you can get involved in, and one is eminently doable and the other is something you are passionate about but that everyone tells you shouldn’t tackle, the latter is what you should choose. That is what Dr. Dodd did and what led him to be able to establish AMDA.”
Dr. Crecelius recently retired as medical director of Post-Acute Services, BJC Medical Group. He continues to work part-time as medical director of Delmar Gardens nursing homes and as an associate professor of Geriatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. Not only is he a past Medical Director of the Year (2019) and the recipient of the Dodd Award, but he is also a past president of AMDA and the Missouri Association of Long Term Care Practitioners. He is a frequent and much-in-demand speaker on legislative, regulatory, and other issues at the Society’s annual conferences and other national and regional meetings. He continues to be active with AMDA in public policy and payment issues.
He said of his latest recognition, “It’s a real honor. So many people contribute to education, donating their time and expertise to speak at meetings and webinars. It means a lot to receive this award named after Dr. Pattee.”
Please view the PALTC Foundation website for more information on the 2024 Excellence Award winners or to submit nominations for 2025 award winners, which are being accepted until September 15, 2024.
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About the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
The Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine is an independent not-for-profit national organization that philanthropically supports the advancement of education, clinical resources, workforce, and research. The Foundation advances the quality of life for persons in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) through inspiring, educating and recognizing future and current health care professionals. Visit the Foundation for PALTC Medicine at www.paltcfoundation.org.
About the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine is the only medical specialty society representing the community of over 50,000 medical directors, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other practitioners working in the various post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings. Dedicated to defining and improving quality, we advance our mission through timely professional development, evidence-based clinical guidance, and tireless advocacy on behalf of members, patients, families, and staff. Visit www.paltc.org for more information.
