The 1997 CHPCA Award of Excellence was graciously accepted by a very deserving, Dr. Ina Cummings. At the time she was the President of this young national body, the Canadian Palliative Care Association and her dedication to the growth of the Association and the field of palliative care is undeniable.
She worked tirelessly to develop a clinical model for palliative care in a university teaching hospital setting, co-edited the first Canadian manual of palliative care, wrote numerous articles and was frequent speaker on pain and symptom management.
Dr. Cummings accomplishments are numerous, among them:
- A founding member of the CHPCA board of directors, she co-chaired the CHPCA Standards Committee with Dr. Frank Ferris that produced Palliative Care: Towards a Consensus in Standardized Principles of Practice (1995).
- She also served a term as President of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians.
- Dr. Cummings worked with Dr. Balfour Mount to pioneer palliative care in Canada at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Quebec.
- As well as the CHPCA Award of Excellence, Dr. Cummings received in 1992 the Award of Merit from Bishop’s University and in 1997 the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Laws.
Dr. Ina Cummings has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of hospice palliative care in Canada; she has paved the way for others and cared for many.