St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation Legacy Dinner Features Dr. Pauline Chen as Guest Speaker

Dr. Pauline Chen, a transplant surgeon and author of the bestselling book, Final Exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality, will be the guest speaker at the St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation’s Legacy Dinner. The dinner will be held Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at 6 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Carillon Hilton. 

Dr. Chen’s topic for the evening will be “Our Best Selves: A Surgeon’s Reflections of Compassionate Leadership.” As a student, resident and doctor, Dr. Chen said that she was encouraged to disengage her feelings from her patients.

But as she continued on in her career, she discovered that depersonalizing patients didn’t make her a better doctor – or person. She decided to take a different approach by offering compassionate care to her patients.

Dr. Chen will talk about her transformation and how she encourages her fellow physicians to make the change as well.

“Dr. Chen has devoted her career to changing the way the health care industry looks at patients. She believes that it is most important for doctors not to short circuit their emotions,” says Robert Sherman, executive director of the St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation.

“It is a special honor to have Dr. Chen attend our annual dinner because she is such an inspiration and strong advocate for compassionate care like the care we provide at St. Anthony’s.”

Dr. Chen is a liver transplant and cancer surgeon who graduated from Harvard University and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She completed her surgical training at Yale University, the National Cancer Institute and the University of California.

She writes the “Doctor and Patient” health column for the New York Times, in which she shares her insights into the health care system.

The St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation honors outstanding service annually through the giving of three awards: the Helen D. Roberts Philanthropy Award, the Roy G. Harrell, Jr. Leadership Award and the Hippocrates Award. Nominations for the awards will be accepted through Dec. 9. The awards will be announced before the presentation by Dr. Chen.

Tickets for the dinner are $50 and may be purchased online at StAnthonysFoundation.org; or call (727) 825-1086 for more information, to purchase tickets over the phone or to inquire about award nominations.

About St. Anthony’s Hospital

St. Anthony’s Hospital is a 395-bed hospital founded in 1931 as a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and is the first and only faith-based hospital in Pinellas County. As St. Anthony’s celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2011, the hospital continues its rich history dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing high-quality, innovative and compassionate care.

In 2011, St. Anthony’s Hospital earned the prestigious ENERGY STAR award by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for superior energy efficiency for a third consecutive year.  St. Anthony’s Susan Sheppard McGillicuddy Breast Center is the only breast center in St. Petersburg honored with accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and the American College of Radiology (ACR).