Three MidState Medical Center Physicians named 2013 Physician Award Winners

On Dec. 12, three more MidState Medical Center physicians joined a proud tradition at the hospital, by becoming the latest members of the medical staff to earn Physician Recognition Awards. Hospitalist Dr. Mark Schaner earned The Joseph Goodman Clinical Collaboration and Teamwork Award. Dr. Mark Ludwig, a pathologist, was named the recipient of The Daniel Kahn Clinical Quality Award, and radiologist Dr. Gary Dee was recognized with The David Park Leadership Award.

Nominations for the awards came from the entire MidState community including colleagues, staff, patients and patients’ family members. In addition to the winners, several other distinguished physicians were honored for having been nominated.

The winners were cited for their many notable accomplishments: 

Mark Ludwig, MD

Daniel Kahn, MD Clinical Quality Award

Dr. Mark Ludwig has been on MidState’s medical staff since 1999. Over the course of the last 14 years, he has put quality care at the forefront of his practice, in particular working to ensure that MidState provides superior cancer care. He served as a member of the Medical Quality Management Committee from 2008-2012; has been a member of the Clinical Quality Council since its inception in 2012; has been the Division Director of Pathology since 2008; and is involved in all of the multi-disciplinary cancer committees and system-wide initiatives designed to promote excellent cancer care. Moreover, he goes above and beyond expectations in providing timely and high-quality pathology reporting and integration into cancer care planning. Even with these notable distinctions, one nominator noted that he is “humble, unassuming, and has the highest integrity.”

Mark Schaner, MD

Joseph Goodman, MD Clinical Collaboration & Teamwork Award

Dr. Mark Schaner has been a member of the medical staff since 2011. In less than three short years, he has had a profound impact on his patients and his colleagues. His nominations came from members of the healthcare team, and those who have seen first-hand his caring nature that is so representative of Dr. Goodman. One nominator wrote, “In all of my 33 years of service with MidState Medical Center, Dr. Goodman’s care and compassion has always been the gold standard. It was not until this year that I finally met a doctor with very similar traits.” This year’s awardee is cited as one who looks at the whole person and goes above and beyond to help his patients. Another nominator stated that anyone in this physician’s care is in the “best of hands.” In keeping with the attributes of this award, our winner this year is also praised for coordinating care among a variety of different disciplines in a smooth and calming fashion. He makes sure he speaks with all of the nurses and specialty physicians so that everyone is on the same page. He is respected and admired as a physician who has gone into medicine for the right reason: to give excellent, compassionate care.

Gary Dee, MD

David W. Parke, MD Leadership Award

The spirit of Dr. Gary Dee can be summed up in one sentence written by a fellow nominator: “You can’t push people to believe in or want to work towards an organizational vision or goals, but rather, one of the qualities of great leadership is that you guide, lead, and inspire people to want to participate.” Dr. Dee has been on staff with MidState since 1985, and truly lives out the qualities of leadership. He is cited for his tremendous vision, a characteristic that is so important as we face changes in healthcare today. He is an advocate of continuing education, and serves as Quinnipiac University’s Medical Director for the Diagnostic Imaging Program. He was also bestowed as a Fellow of the American College of Radiology (ACR), and within the ACR, is a counselor to the Leadership Committee and frequently lobbies on Capitol Hill in Washington and locally in Hartford as a voice for physicians and hospitals. Additionally, he serves as the IPA Treasurer; is President of the Connecticut Radiology Society; is appointed Vice Chair for the Clinical Integration Committee of Hartford HealthCare; is a member of the CEO-Physician Committee; a board member for the Clinical Coordination Committee; a director of the PACS Integration Committee; and a member of the IT Taskforce for Hartford HealthCare.