The Health Care Heroes awards, presented by BizTimes Milwaukee, salute the accomplishments of people and organizations making a positive difference on the front lines of health care.

Join us as we salute excellence, encourage innovation and recognize these deserving heroes!

BizTimes Milwaukee honored the winners of its annual Health Care Heroes Awards at a breakfast event on Thursday morning at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. The program was sponsored by GE Healthcare.

The awards salute the accomplishments of people and organizations making a positive difference on the front lines of health care, and recipients were selected by a panel of judges that included:

• Dr. Sarah Pratt, Milwaukee pediatrician
• Phyllis King, vice provost of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Karen Ordinans, executive director of the Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin
• Heidi Mayer, executive director of the Lutheran Home Foundation

Award winners, who took the stage as they received their awards Thursday morning, told emotional and compelling stories about their accomplishments in the health care system. Those accomplishments included pioneering innovative new medical techniques – such as a treatment to regrow the human esophagus within a patient developed by Dr. Kulwinder Dua at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin – and touching stories of giving – such as Town of Brookfield Municipal Court Judge JoAnn Eiring’s decision to donate a kidney to long-time colleague and friend Milwaukee Municipal Court Judge Derek Mosely.

Awards were given out in 10 separate categories, seven of which had multiple winners.

Here are the 2016 Health Care Heroes award winners by category:

Advancements in Health Care: Honors a company or individual primarily responsible for a scientific or discovery or for the development of a new medical product or procedure.

• Dr. Kulwinder Dua, Froedtert & the Medical College

Behavioral Health: Honors an individual or an organization for their leadership, commitment and care on behavioral health issues.

• Grand Avenue Club
• Aurora Health Care

Community Service: Honors an individual or an organization for leadership in focusing on solving a particular health care issue.

• Amberlea Childs, Kohl’s Conversations for the Cure
• Judge Derek Mosley and Judge JoAnn Eiring
• Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s – Strong Baby Sanctuary

Corporate Achievement in Health Care: Honors a company or organization that has successfully implemented an innovative health care product, process or service.

• Kenall Mfg.

Executive Leadership: Honors a senior-level individual who demonstrates strong skills in leading their organization in quality care, collaboration and financial management.

• Jackie Fredrick, BloodCenter of Wisconsin
• Dr. Keith Oldham, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

First Responder: Honors a person who arrived on the scene of a healthcare emergency utilizing their training to treat and comfort the patient in need.

• David Bandomir, West Allis Fire Dept.

Health Care Staff: Honors an individual who has made a significant difference in the well-being of others.

• Jennifer Eggert, Milwaukee Center for Independence
• Laurie Nowak, Clement Manor

Nurse: Honors an individual from the nursing field whose performance on the job is considered exemplary by patients, peers and physicians.

• Wendy Beckett, independent home health care nurse
• Karen Bialas, Aurora Medical Center in Washington County
• Rosemary White-Traut, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Physician: Honors a physician whose performance on the job is considered exemplary by patients and peers.

• Dr. David Margolis, Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
• Dr. Ajay Sahajpal, Aurora Health Care

Volunteer: Honors an individual who has done volunteer work for the good of one or more people or the entire community.

• Mark Hogan, Children’s Hospital
• Becky Gilling-Kramsky, ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
• Lorraine Kofler, Kathy’s House

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