Cindy Bruzzese and Dr. Allan Ramsay Receive Madison-Deane Award
The Madison-Deane Education Fund was established soon after the deaths of Drs. Madison and Deane by their widows, Dr. Joan Madison and Mrs. Estelle Deane, who sought to memorialize their husbands’ shared vision of providing exceptional care for Vermonters who were dying.
COLCHESTER, Vt. - The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice has announced that Cindy Bruzzese, MPA, MSB, and Allan Ramsay, MD, are the recipients of the Madison-Deane award for Excellence in End-of-Life Care for 2020 and 2021, respectively. The Excellence in End-of-Life Care award was established in 2017 and is presented annually to a Vermont individual, group, or organization that exemplifies the vision of Dr. James Madison and Dr. Robert Deane, who sought to transform end-of-life care in Vermont.
Recipients of the award demonstrate excellence by:
- Catalyzing efforts that advance the acceptance of death as a natural part of life;
- Leading education, information, and resources relevant to end-of-life issues; and
- Creating and encouraging dialogue surrounding how individuals and families confront life-threatening illness.
Cindy Bruzzese, the 2020 recipient of the Excellence in End-of-Life Care award, serves as executive director of the Vermont Ethics Network and is a certified ethics consultant, a clinical ethicist at the University of Vermont Medical Center, chair of the Ethics Committee for the State of Vermont’s Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, an active member of the clinical consult team of the Central Vermont Medical Center Ethics Committee and directs the Statewide Task Force on Palliative Care and Pain Management. Throughout her career, Cindy has demonstrated excellence in ensuring that education, information, and resources relevant to end-of-life issues are readily available for Vermonters and to advancing access to high-quality hospice care throughout the State of Vermont.
Dr. Allan Ramsay, the 2021 recipient of the Excellence in End-of-Life Care award, has spent his career caring and advocating for those with life-ending conditions as well as for vulnerable populations. Dr. Ramsay is a trusted expert in end-of-life care for clinicians, colleagues, patients and families at the University of Vermont Health Network - Home Health & Hospice, as well as inspiration for the University of Vermont Medical Center’s medical residents as they learn about hospice care for the first time. His mentorship and guidance have proven invaluable to the UVM Health Network and community partners over the years.
The Madison-Deane Education Fund was established soon after the deaths of Drs. Madison and Deane by their widows, Dr. Joan Madison and Mrs. Estelle Deane, who sought to memorialize their husbands’ shared vision of providing exceptional care for Vermonters who were dying. The Madison-Deane Education Fund and Excellence in End-of-Life Care awards are administered by the UVM Health Network - Home Health & Hospice.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of the regular award cycle, the award committee selected 2021 and 2020’s recipients simultaneously. Each recipient of the Madison-Deane award receives a cash prize of $1,000, an engraved heart votive from Simon Pearce, and a certificate of appreciation. Nominations for the Madison-Deane Education Fund for Excellence in End-of-Life Care are being accepted through September 30, 2022.
About Recipient Cindy Bruzzese
Cindy Bruzzese earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Colby College, Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Vermont and Master’s in Clinical Ethics (MSB) from Clarkson University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Cindy also holds a certificate in bioethics with a specialization in health policy and law from Union Graduate College and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
About Recipient Dr. Allan Ramsay
Dr. Allan Ramsay is a hospice and palliative care physician and also holds the title of professor emeritus from the Department of Family Medicine at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Dr. Ramsay’s clinical interests include end-of-life care, primary care of underserved populations, medical education and health policy. Dr. Ramsay has been a family physician in Vermont for more than 40 years, serving in numerous leadership roles throughout his career. Dr. Ramsay was the first medical director of Palliative Care at the University of Vermont Medical Center and has practiced at the People's Health and Wellness Free Clinic in Barre since 2012, including serving as medical director for several years.
About The University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an integrated system serving the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. The partners are:
- The University of Vermont Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high-quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our affiliates remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.
###