Past Cheers Award Winners

The Cheers Awards honor individuals and organizations that have set a superlative standard of excellence for others to follow in the prevention of medication errors and adverse drug events.  Past recipients of the ISMP Cheers Award have exhibited exceptional efforts to improve patient outcomes and prevent patient harm related to medication use.

Winners of this prestigious award include:

2022

Cheers Winners: Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, CA
  Shifa International Hospitals, Ltd., Islamabad, Pakistan  
George DiDomizio Winner: Vitalis, Bogota, Colombia
Lifetime Winner: Michael R. Cohen, RPh, MS, ScD (hon), DPS (hon), FASHP

2021

Cheers Winners: City of Hope Protocol Content Administrators, Duarte, CA
  Inova Health System, Fairfax, VA
  KIDs List Collaborative, Commissioned by the Pediatric Pharmacy Association
  The Medication Safety Minute, Dublin, Ireland
  Tabba Heart Institute, Karachi, Pakastan
Volunteer Award Winner: Raymond J. Muller, RPh, MS, FASHP
Lifetime Winner: Patricia Kienle, RPh, MPA, BCSCP, FASHP

2020

Cheers Winners: Tina Suess, MHA, BSN, RN-BC, CPHIMS, CPPS
  Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority, Talihina, OK
  Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, East Norriton, PA
Subscriber Winner:  HCA West Florida Division, Tampa, FL
Volunteer Winner: Mary E. Burkhardt, MS, RPh, FASHP, FSMSO 
George DiDomizio Winner: Mary Baker, PharmD, MBA, FASPEN
Lifetime Winner: David Cousins, BPharm, MSc, FRPharmS, PhD

2019

Cheers Winners: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
  Anticoagulation Forum,  Newton, MA
Volunteer Winner: Arizona Safe Medication Collaborative Team
George DiDomizio Winner: Dennis A. Tribble, PharmD, FASHP
Lifetime Winner: Rita Shane, PharmD, FASHP, FCSHP

2018

Cheers Winners: E. Robert Feroli Jr, PharmD, FASHP, FSMSO
  Jo Wyeth, PharmD
  Valley Medical Center Clinic Network, South King County, WA
  Eskenazi Health Pharmacy Department, Indianapolis, IN
George DiDomizio Winner: Brad Noe, MBA
Lifetime Winner: Timothy S. Lesar, BS, PharmD

2017

Cheers Winners: REMEDI Infusion Pump Collaborative, West Lafayette, IN
  St. Vincents Primary Care Center, Indianapolis, IN
  Abu Dhabi Pharmacy Conference: "ASK" Medication Safety Video, Abu Dhabi, UAE
  H. Shonna Yin, MD, MS, NYU School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY
Lifetime Winner: Bona E. Benjamin, BS Pharm

2016

Cheers Winners: American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) Parenteral Nutrition Safety Committee, Silver Spring, MD
  Ascension Health, St. Louis, MO
  HCA Clinical Services Group, Nashville, TN
  Robert K Stoelting, MD, President, Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), Indianapolis, IN
  Immunization Action Coalation (IAC), St. Paul, MN
Lifetime Winner: David Marx, JD

2015

Cheers Winners: Eric Kastango, MBA, RPh, FASHP, Clinical IQ LLC, Florham Park, NJ
  Aurora Health Care, Neonatal Medication Standardization Workgroup, Milwaukee, WI
  Safe Enteral Connector Advocates, Jamie Skylar, RN, BSN, MS, CCRN-K, Sean P. O'Neill, PharmD, Eric A. Johnson, PhD, Philadelphia, PA
  Jason Adelman, MD, MS, New York, NY
  CredibleMeds Worldwide, Oro Valley, AZ
Volunteer Winner: Russell Jenkins, MD, Gilbert, AZ
Lifetime Winner: John Grabenstein, RPh, PhD

2014

Cheers Winners: University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and Health System, and Michigan Pharmacists Association, Ann Arbor and Lansing, MI
  Sheldon Sones, RPh, FASCP, Sheldon S. Sones and Associates, Newington, CT
  OTC Program (AAPCC, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, and Scholastic)
  Dan Hussar, RPh, PhD, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
  Global Enteral Device Supplier Association (GEDSA), Columbus, OH
  Fred Mayer, RPh, MPH, Pharmacists Planning Service, Inc. (PPSI), San Rafael, CA
Lifetime Winner: Janet Woodcock, MD

2013

Cheers Winners: AAMI Foundation Health Technology Safety Institute (HTSI), Arlington, VA
  Safe Injection Practices Coalition (SIPC) and the PROTECT Initiative, Atlanta, GA
  Deb Saine, MS, RPh, FASHP, Medication Safety Manager, Winchester Medical Center, Winchester, VA
  Cook Children's Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX
  Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI
Subscriber Winner: Kindred Healthcare, Louisville, KY
George DiDomizio Winner: Intelliject Inc., Richmond, VA CDC
Lifetime Winner: David Classen, MD

2012

Cheers Winners: forYOU Team, University of Missouri Health Care System, Columbia, MO
  New York Hospital Queens, Flushing, NY
  Wesley Medical Center, Committee for Safe Medication Practice, Wichita, KS
  Peggi Guenter, Senior Dir., Advocacy, Research and Clinical Pract, American Soc. for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Silver Spring, MD
  Melissa Seamonson, Deerfield, WI
  James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics, Tampa, FL
George DiDomizio Winner: Sproxil and GlaxoSmithKline, Cambridge, MA
Lifetime Winner: James Broselow, MD

2011

Cheers Winners: OhioHealth, Columbus, OH
  SCANA Pharmacy, Cayce, SC
  National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention, Rockville, MD
  Advocates to Address Drug Shortages (Bona Benjamin, Erin Fox, Valerie Jensen)
  Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Nashville, TN
  Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center SERIOUS Medication Reconciliation Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Subscriber Winner: Saint Vincent Hospital Med Safety Sub-Committee and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, Worcester, MA
Lifetime Winner: Lawrence A. Trissel

2010

Cheers Winners: PA Patient Safety Authority, PA
  Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DE
  Lancaster General Health, Lancaster, PA
  NC Center for QPS, Hosp Assoc, Board of Nursing, NC
Subscriber Winner: Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
Volunteer Winner: Barbara Olson, RN, Atlanta, GA
Lifetime Winner: Mark Neuenschwander

2009

Cheers Winners: Laura Bogdanski, PharmD, BCPS, Healthcare Associates, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
  Christina (Marucci) Michalek, RPh, Director of Pharmacy, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Bethlehem, PA
  Giant Eagle, Inc, Pittsburgh, PA
  Intermountain Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT
  Veterans Health Administration Bar Code Resource Office, Topeka, KS
  San Diego Patient Safety Taskforce, San Diego, CA
Subscriber Winner: Portage Health, Hancock, MI
Lifetime Winner: Darryl Rich, PharmD, MBA, FASHP

2008

Cheers Winners: www.HealthInfoTranslations.org, Columbus, OH
  Sebastian Ferrero Foundation, Gainesville, FL
  FDA Patient Safety News, Rockville, MD
  Debora Simmons, RN, MSN, CCRN, CCNS, Texas A & M Health Sciences Center, Houston, TX
Subscriber Winners: Community Health Network, Indianapolis, IN 
  UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA
Lifetime Winner: Diane Cousins, RPh

2007

Cheers Winners: Mercy Health Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  John F. Mitchell, Medication Safety Coordinator, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI
  Walworth County Patient Safety Council, Elm Grove, WI
  Timothy Vanderveen, PharmD, MS, VP, Center for Safety & Clinical Excellence, Cardinal Health, San Diego, CA
  Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Subscriber Winner: Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC 
Special Recognition Winner: Robert W. K. Lam, RPh , Information Technology Specialist, ISMP Canada, Toronto, Canada
Lifetime Winner: Richard J. Croteau, M.D.

2006

Cheers Winners: Ilene Corina, Co-President New York, PULSE, Wantagh, NY
  Joyce Genarali, Director of Drug Information, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
  Univ of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian, Pittsburgh, PA
  KatrinaHealth.org, New York, NY
  Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, Hollister , CA
  Evans Army Comm Hosp Soldier Readiness Processing, Ft. Carson, CO
  Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA
  Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Nashville, TN
  Therese Staublin, Drug Use Review Coordinator, St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers, Beech Grove, IN
Subscriber Winner: Univ. of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Shadyside, Pittsburgh, PA
Lifetime Winner: Gordon Schiff, MD

2005

Cheers Winners: Lorri Zipperer, Cybrarian, Zipperer Project Management, Evanston, IL
  David Marx, JD, Outcome Engineering, Carrollton, TX
  Patient Safety Rounds Program at Dana-Farber Cance, Boston, MA
  John Gosbee, MD, MS, Director, Patient Safety Information Systems, National Center for Patient Safety, VHA, Ann Arbor, MI
  Joan Kramer, Staff Development Manager, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, Baltimore, MD
  Jenny Meslow, National Interdiscplinary Case Competition, CLARION, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
  Target Corporation, Minneapolis, MN
  Fostoria Community Hospital, Fostoria, OH
  Association of Perioperative Registered NursesAORN, Denver, CO
  St. John's Mercy Medical Center, St. Louis, MO
  Joanne Kowiatek, RPh, MPM, Manager, Medication Safety, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Subscriber Winner: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland , OH
Lifetime Winner: Herbert S. Carlin, DSc, MSc, RPh

2004

Cheers Winners: Abington Physician Network of Abington Memorial Hospital
  Thomas Burnakis, PharmD
  The Commonwealth Fund
  Milwaukee Patient Safety Collaborative
  Parkland Medical Center
  Ginette A. Pepper, PhD, RN, FAAN
  Primary Children's Medical Center
  Reading Hospital and Medical Center
  Sentara Healthcare System
Subscriber Winner: Benedictine Hospital
Lifetime Winner: Neil M. Davis, PharmD, MS, FASHP

2003

Cheers Winners: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
  Eli Lilly and Company
  Philip E. Johnson, MS, RPh, FASHP
  The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
  Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network
  Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors
  Medication Error Prevention Initiative (MEPI)
  Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative (PRHI)
  Daniel J. Sheridan, MS, RPh
  "Smart Pump" Technology, Alaris Medical Systems; B. Braun; Baxter Healthcare
Subscriber Winner: Advocate South Suburban Hospital
Special Recognition: Elliot Sternberg, MD
Honorable Mention: Grove General Hospital
Lifetime Winner: Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP

2002

Cheers Winners: Anthony F. Grasha, PhD
  Beverly A. Orser, MD, PhD
  Brigham & Women's Hospital
  California HealthCare Foundation- iHealth & Technology Program
  Concord Hospital
  Steven B. Meisel, PharmD
  Temple University School of Pharmacy
  U.S. Pharmacopeia- Center for the Advancement of Patient Safety
Subscriber Winner: Portsmouth Regional Hospital
Honorable Mention: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Lifetime Winner: Kenneth N. Barker, Ph.D.

2001

Cheers Winners: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
  FDA Office of Generic Drugs and FDA Office of Post Marketing Drug Risk Assessment
  Susan D. Ketring, MS and James P. White, MD
  Oklahoma State Board of Health
  Maria Jose Otero, PhD
  Partners HealthCare System Office of Patient Safety
  John W. Senders, PhD
Subscriber Winner: University of Colorado Hospital
Honorable Mention: Elkhardt General Healthcare Systems
  Medical University of SC Medical Center
Lifetime Winner: Lucian L. Leape, MD

2000

Cheers Winners: American Hospital Association
  British Medical Journal
  Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minneapolis
  Dana-Farber Cancer Institution 
  Timothy S. Lesar, PharmD
  Luther Midelfort Mayo Regional Health System
  Quality of Health Care in America Committee- IOM
Subscriber Winners: Rahway Hospital
  Darryl S. Rich, PharmD
  David U, BScPhm, MScPhm
  VA Medical Center, Lexington, KY

1999

Cheers Winners: Kenneth N. Barker, PhD, RPh
  David W. Bates, MD, MSc
  Steven M. Belknap, MD
  David H. Cousins, MSc, PhD, MCPP, MRPharmS
  Elizabeth Allen Flynn, PhD, Rph
  Kenneth A. Kester, PharmD
  King Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  Lucian L. Leape, MD
Subscriber Winners: Marion General Hospital
  McNeil Consumer Healthcare
  St. Joseph Medical Center
  David R. Upton, MSc, PhD, MRPharmS

1998

Cheers Winners: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
  Bridge Medical, Inc.
  Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology/Immunology
  Dennis E. Dunn
  Florida Board of Pharmacy
  Stephen Fried
  Barbara M. Golz, RN, MS
  IHI
  JCAHO
  Bruce Lambert, PhD
  The Liposome Company, Inc.
  Thomas J. Moore
  Veteran Administration- Department of Veterans Affairs