Newswise — BOSTON —The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) announced its selections for the 2016 SPARK! Awards. Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, President and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will receive the 2016 Schweitzer Clarion Award for Health Promotion and Education.
Benz is being honored for bringing attention—and solutions—to the racial disparities in access to oncology care and health outcomes. Under his leadership, Dana-Farber partnered with the Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury, Mass., to open the country’s first dedicated oncology space in a Federally Qualified Health Center; launched the Cancer Care Equity Program, a national model for reducing disparities in cancer care, and established Dana-Farber’s Center for Global Cancer Medicine to provide care, education, facilities, and research expertise to the people of Rwanda and Haiti.
“A core part of Dana Farber’s mission is to implement programs that promote public health among high-risk and underserved populations,” said Benz. “It is especially rewarding to be recognized by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, an organization that fulfills that same mission by working with emerging leaders to develop programs aimed at reducing health disparities.”
The SPARK! Awards are given annually in conjunction with ASF’s SPARK! Leadership Conference. The SPARK! Gala will take place on Friday, November 4, 2016 from 6-9 p.m. at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston.
“We’re proud to honor Dr. Benz for the critical work he is doing to empower our most vulnerable populations to live healthier lives, and for his longstanding commitment to public service,” said ASF Executive Director Sylvia Stevens-Edouard.
The Schweitzer Clarion Award for Health Promotion and Education was established in 2013 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon, Africa. It recognizes significant achievement in promoting health information, education, and treatment to improve health outcomes for all people, especially the most vulnerable among us. Past honorees include Drew Altman, PhD, president and CEO of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation; Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH, director of the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital; and Timothy Johnson, MD, Former medical editor for ABC News. About Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteFrom achieving the first remissions in childhood cancer with chemotherapy in 1948, to developing the very latest new therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. It is the only center ranked in the top 4 of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals for both adult and pediatric cancer care.
Dana-Farber sits at the center of a wide range of collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center provides the latest in cancer care for adults; Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for children. The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center unites the cancer research efforts of five Harvard academic medical centers and two graduate schools, while Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care provides high quality cancer treatment in communities outside Boston’s Longwood Medical Area.
Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique, 50/50 balance between cancer research and care, and much of the Institute’s work is dedicated to translating the results of its discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world. About The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) is preparing the next generation of professionals who will serve and empower vulnerable people to live healthier lives and create healthier communities. To date, more than 3,200 Schweitzer Fellows have delivered nearly 500,000 hours of service to nearly 300,000 people in need. Additionally, more than 100 Fellows have provided care at the 100-year-old Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Africa. Through this work and through the contributions of Fellows whose professional careers serve their communities, ASF perpetuates the legacy and philosophy of physician-humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer. ASF has 14 program locations in the U.S. and one in Lambaréné, Africa. Its national office is located in Boston, MA.
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