Ida M. Cannon Award
The inspiration for this most prestigious SSWLHC award, first presented in 1971, was Ida M. Cannon, who organized the first social work department in an acute care medical setting. Harriet Bartlett explained Ida Cannon’s impact on the early field of social work in her 1975 article.
Award Purpose, Expectations of Nominees
This award honors a national figure in health care social work for outstanding contributions to the leadership of social work in a health care setting and to the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care. Candidates must be widely recognized leaders in the field of health care social work and demonstrate the qualities that made Ida Cannon successful as the first social work leader in health care.
Award Criteria
In addition to demonstrating the characteristics of candidates for all Society awards (established by the SSWLHC Board in 1981), the Ida M. Cannon recipient must be a national SSWLHC member who demonstrates:
- Capacity and ability to lead, organize, and evaluate the effective and efficient provision of social work in the health care field.
- Leadership in the practice of health care administration that exemplifies the skills, qualities, and ethics of social work.
- Ability to use knowledge and experience to influence the health care system and the external environment in order to meet the psychosocial needs of patients, families, and populations. Has shown the ability to organize and transmit that knowledge and experience in a meaningful way.
- Capacity and willingness to assist/ consult with others to develop management and leadership skills in health care.
- Significant experience and success over time as a contributing member of the SSWLHC.
Winner Receives
- Personalized, specially engraved award presented at the Opening Banquet dinner with five minutes to accept
- One (1) complimentary guest ticket to the Opening Banquet dinner
- Annual Meeting Conference Registration fee will be waived
- Bulletin board at the conference
Previous Recipients
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Beatrice Phillips |
| 1972 | Bernice C. Harper |
| 1973 | Maurice V. Russell |
| 1974 | John Wax |
| 1975 | Helen Rehr |
| 1976 | Evelyn McNamera |
| 1977 | Jean M. Dockhom |
| 1978 | Abraham Lurie |
| 1979 | Eleanor Clark |
| 1980 | Martin Nacman |
| 1981 | Jayne B. Shelton |
| 1982 | Barbara Henley |
| 1983 | Patricia J. Vollard |
| 1984 | Gary Rosenberg |
| 1985 | Susan B. Baillis |
| 1986 | W. June Simmons |
| 1987 | Herbert J. Allen |
| 1988 | Andrew Weissman |
| 1989 | Lawrence C. Shulman |
| 1990 | Evelyn E. Bonander |
| 1991 | Robert T. Stepanek |
| 1992 | Patricia Meadows |
| 1993 | No Recipient |
| 1994 | Susan Haikalis |
| 1995 | Candyce Berger |
| 1996 | Judith Trachtenberg |
| 1997 | Alice Scesney |
| 1998 | Greg Jensen |
| 1999 | Alice Kitchen |
| 2000 | No Recipient |
| 2001 | Rose Popovich |
| 2002 | Sona Euster |
| 2003 | Ellen Perlman Simon |
| 2004 | Linda Brandeis |
| 2005 | Jill E. Manske |
| 2006 | Mary Norris Brown |
| 2007 | Mary Lou Krieger |
| 2008 | Polly Jones |
| 2009 | James Zabora |
| 2010 | Richard Woodrow |
| 2011 | Charles L. Robbins |
| 2012 | Sheri Hilger |
| 2013 | Stanley G. Remer |
| 2014 | Margaret Meyer |
| 2015 | Edward Woomer |
| 2016 | Kathleen Wade |
| 2017 | Carol Maxwell |
| 2018 | Scott Ferguson |
| 2019 | Anthony Yamamoto |
| 2020 | Hallie Stone |