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From left, Wilfred Schmid, husband of the late Marina Bizzarri-Schmid, joins Anesthesiology's Vlad Formanek, Marge Pothier and Charles Vacanti during the award celebration.
When anesthesiologist Vlad Formanek, MD, was diagnosed with brain cancer following a seizure in December 2008, he thought of his late colleague, Marina Bizzarri-Schmid, MD, who had passed away in 2007.
Now there’s another link between the two as Formanek in December received the first-ever Bizzarri-Schmid Compassionate Care Award established to honor a member of the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine who demonstrates the attention to detail, the warmth and the love shown both to patients and colleagues as Bizzarri-Schmid did throughout her career.
“We are blessed to draw the most talented and smartest candidates to train and practice here, so much so that we’re in a position where we only bring in the nicest and most compassionate people,” said Anesthesiology Chairman Charles Vacanti, MD. “Marina represents that ideal.”
Formanek, who was surprised to receive the award, recalled Bizzarri-Schmid’s compassion. “She was a visionary. Today we talk so much about patient safety, but that was always utmost in Marina’s care of patients. She always had the patient at the center of her care.”
In December 2008, Formanek suffered a seizure in the OR just as he was ready to begin a case. Most of the tumor was resected, and through intense physical therapy, he has progressed from a wheelchair to a cane to completing a five-mile Jimmy Fund Walk in September. Thirteen cycles of chemotherapy were to end in January.
He plans to join Team Neuro in another walk this year. “I’ll walk and raise funds in honor and memory of Marina,” he said.