Each year, an outstanding caregiver within the KU Wichita Pediatrics/Wesley Children's Hospital network of exemplary doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains and other professionals is recognized as the KU Wichita Pediatrics Compassionate Caregiver. On Sept. 9, Paul Teran, M.D., Wesley Medical Center pediatric hospitalist and full-time faculty member in the KU School of Medicine-Wichita Department of Pediatrics, was awarded a plaque signifying that honor.

Every year since 1999, the Schwartz Center has honored outstanding health care professionals who display extraordinary devotion and compassion in caring for patients and families. This is the second year to honor an amazing Wichita caregiver.

The colleague that nominated Teran had these positive words to say:

"Dr. Paul Teran exemplifies compassion as a pediatric hospitalist, caring for sick and injured children. His conscientious bedside manner embodies the concern he carries internally for the child's health and well-being, and the honor of serving the entire family unit. He guides his teams in the holistic approach to medical care, which focuses on the needs of parents, caregivers and every person in the child's life who plays a role in loving and protecting them. His leadership in creating and maintaining the Patient and Family Centered Care Workgroup has already begun to transform the culture of the inpatient pediatric service line from top to bottom in upholding the needs of entire families in a multidisciplinary manner. By engaging the entire medical team in the process of listening, empathizing and communicating openly with patients and caregivers of all kinds, he has multiplied the role of each staff member in behaving compassionately in their day-to-day work with hospitalized children. He is a leader in how he hears the concerns of worried parents, works to protect their children and serves as an example to others of how to do the same."

Eligible nominees are individual health care professionals or a team of health care professionals who work directly with pediatric patients and their families under the scope of KU Wichita Pediatrics or Wesley Children's Hospital.

The Schwartz Rounds Planning Committee, which reviews the nominations and selects the honoree, includes Kerri Weeks, M.D.; Adam McClure, M.D.; Melissa Hopper, Psy.D.; Nicole Kuhns, RN; Lisa Yingling, case management; Tara Shirley, pediatric residency coordinator; and Amy Claassen, chaplain.

The inaugural award recipient was Stephanie Binkley, LBSW, a pediatric inpatient case manager at Wesley Medical Center, who was honored in 2019.