Patricia Shell Caulkins, RN, BSN, MS of Augusta Health has been named this year’s recipient of the Martin C. Ushkow Community Service Award at the American Academy of Pediatrics. She will be recognized at the AAP’s National Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans in October.
The annual award recognizes a physician, school health professional or organization that has contributed to the welfare of children by promoting coordinated school health programs and/or physician and health professionals’ education in school health.
Caulkins, Working on Wellness Children/Youth Coordinator at Augusta Health, has served the children of Virginia for nearly twenty years. She has developed comprehensive school health programs through non-traditional collaborations with universities, governmental and non-profit agencies, school divisions and health care professionals. She is a woman of “firsts”—first school nurse for Waynesboro Public Schools, first WOW Coordinator and a charter member of programs such as the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition and Project GROWS, a youth-based community farm addressing childhood obesity. Caulkins was 2001 Virginia School Nurse of the Year and 2011 March of Dimes Community Health Nurse of the Year.
“I am honored to receive this recognition from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and know my work would not have been possible without the supportive environments of both the Waynesboro School’s Department of Student Services and the Community Wellness Department at August Health that helped make many of these projects a reality,” said Caulkins.
The AAP is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of the nation’s infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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Chris Graham
