Indianapolis Business Journal is pleased to present the 12th annual Health Care Heroes awards. Each year, IBJ solicits nominations from the public in five categories. A committee of judges from all facets of health care picks three finalists, including a winner, in each category.
Community Achievement in Health Care
honors a company or organization that has successfully implemented a program that has
addressed an acknowledged problem in health care administration or delivery.
Finalists
B.A.B.E (Beds and Britches, Etc. Store), St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital
Center for Aging & Community, University of Indianapolis
Charis Center for Eating Disorders
Garden on the Go, Indiana University Health
Gennesaret Free Clinic
Imaging Cost and Quality Program, WellPoint
Indiana Children’s Services Research, IU School of Medicine
Indiana Organ Procurement Organization
Level One Vascular Emergency Program, IU Health Methodist Hospital
MJ Insurance
Newborn Resuscitation Simulation Outreach Program, Riley Hospital for Children
Ronald McDonald House of Indiana
Social Enterprises Program, Aspire Indiana, Inc.
Step-Up, Inc.
TriMedx
Trinity Free Clinic
Wishard Volunteer Advocates Program, Wishard Health Services
Advancement in Health Care
honors a company or individual primarily responsible for scientific discovery or for development
of a new procedure, device or service that can save lives or improve quality of life for a large number of people.
Winner
Eric D. Blom, PhD
Adjunct Professor, Department of Speech and Hearing Science, Indiana University
Finalists

Douglas J. Schwartzentruber, M.D.
System Medical Director of Indiana University Health Cancer Services; Associate Director of Clinical Affairs at IU Simon Cancer Center

Daniel E. Kraft, M.D.
Director, Riley Hospital for Children Sports Medicine at Indiana University Health; Co-director, Indiana Sports Concussion Network
Joseph O’Neil, M.D., MPH, FAAP
Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician, Riley Hospital for Children; Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine
Eric D. Blom, PhD
Center for Ear Nose Throat & Allergy
Brad Bostic
hc1.com (a Bostech Innovation)
Lara DePoy
The Jackson Center for Conductive Education
Daniel Kraft, M.D. and Joseph O’Neil, M.D.
Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health
John Murphy, Respiratory Therapy and Electrophysiology Teams
Franciscan St. Francis Health
Mark Payne
Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine
Doug Schwartzentruber, M.D.
Indiana University Health Cancer Services, Indiana University Simon Cancer Center
James Sumners, M.D.
St. Vincent Center for Prenatal Diagnosis
Wellpoint-Watson Partnership
Physician
honors a physician whose performance on the job is considered exemplary by patients and peers.
Winner
Rajiv Sood, M.D., FACS
Medical Director, Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center, Wishard Health Services Professor of Plastic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine
Finalists

Jodi L. Smith, PhD, M.D.
John E. Kalsbeck Professor and Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children/Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine
Kathleen Bemenderfer, M.D.
Clearvista Women’s Care
Rebecca Bushong, M.D.
Shideler Dermatology
Desiree Dimond, D.D.S.
Indiana Dental Association
Edwin M. Eppler, M.D.
Franciscan St. Francis Health
John W. Fehrenbacher, M.D.
Indiana University Health
Richard I. Fogel, M.D., FACC, FHRS
The Care Group at St. Vincent Heart Center
Richard K. Freeman, M.D.
CorVasc M.D.’s PC
Alex Meyers, M.D.
Reconstructive Hand Surgeons of Indiana/Bloomington Bone & Joint
David Moore, M.D.
St. Francis Medical Group Gynecologic Oncology Specialists
Polly Moore, M.D.
St. Francis Medical Group, Indiana Heart Physicians
James Nevin, M.D.
St. Vincent’s Emergency Physicians, St. Vincent Hospital
Bala C. Rangaswami, M.D.
my-Bio Family Practice/Bio Identical Hormone Replacement
Mary Rouse, M.D.
Indiana University School of Medicine, IU Health
Jodi L. Smith, PhD, M.D.
Riley Hospital for Children/Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, Indiana University Health
Rajiv Sood, M.D., FACS
Wishard Health Services, IU School of Medicine
Alison K. Wright, M.D.
American Health Network
Non-Physician
honors an individual from nursing or allied health fields whose
performance in the delivery of care is considered exemplary by patients and peers.
Winner
Michele Kuntz Wood, R.N.
Manager of Women’s Health Services, Franciscan St. Francis Health
Finalists

Jessie A. Westlund, R.N.
Chief Integration Officer, Community Health Network CEO, Community Home Health Services
Mary L. Baker, RN, MSN, MHA
Indiana University Health
Jeremy Burnette
Navion
IU Health Methodist Hospital Interdisciplinary Team
Indiana University Health
Daria Rumler
Franciscan St. Francis Health
Dr. Carl T. Sundberg, PhD, BCBA-D
Behavior Analysis Center for Autism
Jessie A. Westlund, RN
Community Health Network/Community Home Health Services
Elizabeth A. White
Community Hospital East
Michele Kuntz Wood, RN
Franciscan St. Francis Health
Volunteer
honors an individual who is not employed in health care but has
had a major impact in the delivery of care through volunteer work.
Finalists
Bob Baxter
Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health
Nancy A. Cotterill
People On Wheels, Inc.
Michael Forbes
St. Vincent Carmel Hospital
Duane Hoak, Ed.D.
Aspire Indiana, Inc.
Robert McDonald
Aledo Consulting
Amanda Milner
Fair Haven Foundation
Dorothy Van Hove
Methodist Hospital Emergency Department, Indiana University Health
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