UConn Health's 6th annual Dr. Richard Simon Excellence in Clinical Neurosciences Award
Paramedic and nurse Peter Canning (right), the UConn John Dempsey Hospital emergency medical services coordinator, stands in the emergency department with Dr. Richard Simon after accepting the Dr. Richard Simon Excellence in Clinical Neurosciences Award. (Tina Encarnacion/ UConn Health photo)
The UConn John Dempsey Hospital's emergency medical services coordinator, Peter Canning, is this year's recipient of the Dr. Richard Simon Excellence in Clinical Neurosciences Award.
His nominators credit Canning, a paramedic and nurse who's been UConn Health's EMS coordinator since 2008, for his instrumental role in stroke care.
"He works tirelessly to review any cases sent over for process improvement and communicates with the EMS professionals. He also keeps his ear to the ground to make sure UConn Health is at the forefront of new protocols for patients with stroke," his nominators write. "His work helps improve the care our ED and stroke program provide. Overall, Peter is an amazing resource for our ED and stroke program."
UConn Health's then Division of Neurosurgery established the award in Simon's name in 2020, and since has presented it annually to clinicians, staff, or students "who exemplify excellence in any area of the neurosciences at UConn Health." Simon is the hospital's chief of medical staff and professor of surgery in what is now the Department of Neurosurgery, and has been a member of the UConn School of Medicine faculty for four decades.
"It is a true honor to recognize such a powerhouse as the recipient of the Richard Simon Award," Simon says. "Reading his bio is a humbling experience - Peter is a true Renaissance man, seamlessly blending the roles of athlete, published author, and political advisor. But above all, he is a paramedic - our paramedic. As the EMS coordinator at UConn Health, he has played a pivotal role in shaping EMS operations across our region, leaving a lasting impact on the field and the many lives he has touched."
Though he is the first solo recipient of the Simon Award, Canning sees it not only as an honor for him, but also as an acknowledgement of the emergency medical services component of stroke care.
"I was honored to get this award and accept it on behalf of our EMS providers," Canning says. "Care at our hospital begins not when the patient arrives through our doors, but when our EMS partners arrive at the patient's side in their homes, places of work and our community. When every minute counts, their rapid stroke recognition and early notification to our ED through stroke alerts, enables us to provide timely interventions like tPA and thrombectomy that make a critical difference in quality-of-life outcomes. I am proud to be a part of our outstanding stroke program and to be able to work with such wonderful caring practitioners as we strive to improve stroke education and treatment."
Dr. Hilary Onyiuke, professor of neurosurgery, founder and co-director of UConn Health's Comprehensive Spine Program, and vice chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, chairs the award's selection committee, which includes leadership from the Department of Neurosurgery, the Department of Neurology, and the neuroradiology section of the Department of Radiology.
"It is truly a great honor to celebrate Dr. Simon's countless contributions to UConn Health through this prestigious award," says Dr. Ketan Bulsara, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery. "His singular dedication to UConn Health and its missions over all these years has truly been inspirational. I thank the members of the selection committee, who truly had a formidable task to sort through the outstanding nominations."
