The Urgent Care Foundation will honor up to five individuals who are new to the Urgent Care industry with the Rising Stars in Urgent Care Award. These individuals represent the best and brightest newcomers in the industry. Nominees must have a proven track record of leadership, innovation, dedication to community and the urgent care industry. Any employee in your organization who meets the criteria can be nominated for this award.

Recipients:

• 2018: Heather Fernandez, Solv Health
• 2019: Benjamin Barlow, MD  
• 2023: Lidymar Ruiz, MBA
• 2024:  Michael Kim DO, FCUCM & Chris Nugent, MBA, CRA

Outstanding Achievement Award

Recognizes significant clinical, managerial and/or administrative achievements in the field of urgent care medicine that have had an impact on the industry. Nominees may be an individual, an organization, or a company and must be a member of UCA.

Recipients:

• 2007: Lee Resnick, MD
• 2010: Members of the UCA Certification Committee
• 2011: The Braveheart Group (publishers, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine)
• 2013: J. Dale Key
• 2014: Robert G. Graw, Jr., MD
• 2016: Peter Lamelas, MD, MBA, FACEP
• 2017: Bruce Irwin, MD
• 2018: Frank Alderman, MD
• 2019: John Kulin, DO, FACEP
• 2020: David Stern, MD, CPC
• 2023: Kevin DiBenedetto, MD

Lifetime Membership Award

Significant contributions of an individual to UCA are recognized with awarding of lifetime membership. The awardee will be granted complimentary lifetime membership in UCA as well as complimentary registration to the UCA Urgent Care Convention & Expo the year he or she receives the award.

Recipients: 

• 2007: Bill Meadows, MD, original UCA president and founding board member
• 2008: David Stern, MD, founding board member
• 2009: John Koehler, MD, founding board member
• 2010: Lee Resnick, MD, past president and founding board member
• 2011: J. Dale Key, past vice president
• 2013: Lou Ellen Horwitz, first UCA executive director
• 2014: Marge Simat, founding board member
• 2015: Cindi Lang, RN, MS, significant contributions to the association
• 2017: Don Dillahunty, DO; Marc Salzberg, MD; Nate Newman, MD; and Robert Kimball, MD
• 2019: Steve Sellars, MBA and Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc
• 2020: Eric McDonald and Pam Sullivan, MD, MBA, FACP, PT
• 2021: Sean M. McNeeley, MD, FCUCM
• 2022: Richard Park, MD and Laurel Stoimenoff, PT, CHC
• 2023: Joseph Toscano, MD, FCUCM

Advocacy Award

Awarded to an individual, organization, or company for legislative or regulatory advocacy for urgent care on a state or national level. Nominees do not have to be members of UCA.

Recipients:

• 2014: The Northeast Regional Urgent Care Association (NERUCA)
• 2015: Radwan Hallaba, MD
• 2016: Nathan Newman, MD, FAAFP
• 2018: United States Senator Bill Cassidy
• 2019: The Northeast Regional Urgent Care Association (NERUCA)
• 2024: Private Radiologic Tech (PRT) Program

Humanitarian Award

Awarded for significant medical volunteer work by an individual, organization, or exhibitor that has had a positive impact on a national or international cause or event. Nominees must be members of UCA.

Recipients:

• 2015: DocuTAP
• 2016: Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care
• 2017: John Koehler, MD
• 2018:  PM Pediatrics, Steve Katz
• 2020: Lynda Gerberg, MD
• 2023: Tracey Q. Davidoff, MD, FCUCM
• 2024: Graig Straus, DNP, APRN, FCUCM

Community Service Award

Awarded for significant volunteer contribution by an individual, organization, or exhibitor that has had a positive impact on the health of that nominee’s community. Nominees must be members of UCA.

Recipients:

• 2015: Anthony Euser, DO
• 2016: Max Lebow, MD, MPH, MBA, FACEP, FACPM
• 2017: Lake After Hours/Lake Urgent Care
• 2018: Nightlight Pediatrics, Zawadi Bryant

Quality and Safety Award

Recognizes an individual, organization or exhibitor for significant efforts that focus on improved quality and safety in the field of urgent care medicine.

Recipient:

• 2017: The Antibiotic Resistance Action Center (ARAC) at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University
• 2018: Merck
• 2019: Jonathan Zipkin, MD
• 2020: Frank Illuzzi, MD and Amanda Montalbano, MD, MPH, FAAP
• 2024: Accreditation Founding Team

Becky Burress Unsung Hero Award

This Award was established to honor our first “Unsung Hero” Becky Burress, UCA’s very first staff member. Becky passed away suddenly in August 2019, and this Award serves as a permanent honor for all those exceptional front line staff who work tirelessly and selflessly above and beyond the call of duty in the work they do behind the scenes at your Urgent Care center(s).