Inside Duke Medicine

Ray Smith is named the third Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Caregiver Award Winner

Walter Ray Smith, a patient transporter for Duke University Hospital, was named the third Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Caregiver Award Winner at DUH.

The award honors faculty and staff of Duke Hospital, the Duke School of Medicine, Ambulatory Services and PRMO who honor Dr. King’s legacy of selflessly supporting the community. Smith was recognized for local service to the Caring House, where he uses his own funds to make home-cooked meals for cancer patients and their loved ones, and for his global service to support building better infrastructures in a small village in Nigeria.

The award includes an etched crystal award and $5,000 to the community organization for which the winner volunteers.

Eleven faculty or staff members were nominated for the award, which was presented by Dr. William J. Fulkerson, Duke University Health System executive vice president, on Thursday, January 13, 2011 in the Searle Center Lecture Hall. During the event, last year’s winner April Perry, a clinical educator for Duke HomeCare & Hospice, shared how winning the award brought public focus to her work to support public health efforts in Haiti. This year’s event was held the day after the anniversary of Perry’s win, which came just hours before the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti. She has since documented her work in Haiti in a new book called “No Hands But Yours.” The first chapter of the book focuses on the positive impact of winning the award.

The following members of the Duke Medicine team were nominated for the award:

Dr. Brenda Armstrong, professor of pediatric cardiology, champions Duke Medicine’s goal of supporting a healthy community by volunteering with the Durham Striders Youth Association, an organization that teaches young people to be great runners.

Rustica Bernaldo Aujero, a nurse on Rankin, volunteers for the Carolina Medical Mission, a humanitarian project of the Phillipine American Association of North Carolina.

Ann Farmer, marketing manager for Duke HomeCare & Hospice, serves as caregiver for the sick in the community and, against the odds, made arrangements to enable elderly veterans to attend the Alzheimer’s Association’s 58th reunion of the 5th Division Marines.

Monica McKnight, a patient resource manager, helped established the Neighbor House of Hillsborough’s Food For All program, which provides 80-100 meals per day for the homeless population of Orange County.

Dr. Eugene Oddone, of Internal Medicine, along with his wife, volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. They funded 50 percent of the cost of building a Habitat Home and have challenged their neighbors to “pay it forward” by funding and building 10 Habitat homes in 10 years.

Ellen Parks, a CNIV in the Oncology Treatment Center, led efforts to re-establish the Roads to Recovery cancer patient transport program to ensure that oncology patients have the transportation they need to get their treatments.

Marie Peluso, a CNIV in the Intensive Care Nursery, is dedicated to supporting the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. She has helped raise more than $35,000 to fight MS through charity bike rides, and has continued to do so even after being hospitalized after getting hit by a car while riding her bike.

Margaret Pendzich, a research analyst for Community and Family Medicine, is a cycling coach for the Special Olympics of Orange County. While many are resting on Sunday mornings, she’s in Chapel Hill in the Friday Center’s parking lot, helping special Olympians improve their skills.

Deidra Louise Powell is a senior IT Analyst for Duke Clinical Research Institute. Her twin sons serve our country as Marines. Deidra supports our Marines by leading her church’s Ministry to Military program, coordinating letter-writing campaigns and collecting donations of items to be placed into care packages for the soldiers who don’t have families back here at home.

Michelle Roley, a data technician for the department of psychiatry, volunteers with El Futuro, analyzing data to support the care of under-served, Spanish-speaking residents and families in central North Carolina who struggle with mental health or addiction concerns.

Read more about the 2011 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Caregiver Award Nominees.