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Types of ResourcesFaith Blackmon, DO
It is with great enthusiasm and deep admiration that I nominate Dr. Faith Blackmon for the Alper Humanitarian Award. This award honors individuals whose integrity, compassion, love, and respect for all people define their character and service. Dr. Blackmon embodies these qualities in every interaction—with patients, families, colleagues, and staff—and consistently exemplifies the very heart of humanitarian medicine.
Faith is empathetic, hardworking, and unfailingly respectful. She speaks with kindness about her patients and colleagues, creating an environment of trust and collaboration. Beyond her clinical responsibilities, she actively develops initiatives to improve patient care, including creating sensory kits for children with Autism to improve their experience in the emergency department -an example of her commitment to caring for the whole child, not only the medical condition. Numerous colleagues have shared powerful examples of Faith’s extraordinary compassion. She repeatedly goes above and beyond to ensure patients and families feel supported and informed each step of the way of their child’s care. On several occasions, she remained long after her shift ended to comfort frightened families, calm anxious parents, and provide reassurance during moments of uncertainty. In one especially moving instance, Faith stayed for hours at the bedside of a dying patient so they would not be alone and remained afterward to console the grieving family way past her duty hour requirements. These actions reflect not obligation, but genuine love for humanity. Faith’s ability to connect with families is remarkable. One resident recalls working with her during a late-night emergency department admission of an infant with dehydration. The mother was tearful and overwhelmed. Faith immediately recognized the emotional need in the room, explained the plan with clarity and compassion, and by the end of the conversation, the mother was smiling and reassured. This is the impact Faith has—she transforms fear into trust.
She is also an extraordinary advocate. Faith has spent hours coordinating complex medication regimens for medically fragile children, arranging therapies and follow-up appointments, and assisting Spanish-speaking families to ensure they fully understand their child’s care. She anticipates patient needs before they arise and never complains about the extra time required to provide excellent care. Her advocacy extends beyond clinical medicine: she has courageously stood up for families at risk of unjust outcomes, including intervening in a child protection case where a family was wrongly accused. When she was a PGY-2 resident, she organized a multidisciplinary conference, presented the facts with clarity and integrity, and successfully helped reverse a safety plan in the family’s favor. This level of moral courage and commitment to justice is rare and inspiring. Faith’s humanitarian spirit is equally evident in her dedication to teaching and mentorship. She has received numerous accolades from medical students who work with her, many of whom describe her as the role model who helped them understand what the profession of pediatrics truly means. Students consistently praise her patience, inclusivity, encouragement, and ability to teach medicine through the lens of compassion. She leads not by authority, but by example.
Her excellence has also been formally recognized within our department. Faith has received multiple departmental awards for “Getting Caught Being Awesome,” a recognition given to individuals who consistently exceed expectations through kindness, initiative, and service. Parents have emailed our department Chair and CMO expressing praise of the compassionate and excellent care Dr. Blackmon provided their family during hospitalization. The accolades even are noted by name on the Press-Ganey surveys. These honors reflect what we all witness daily: Faith brings humanity back to medicine. Colleagues describe her as kind, patient, knowledgeable, driven, and deeply compassionate—"one of the most caring people they have ever met.” She lifts up fellow residents, advocates for those under her leadership, and creates a culture where empathy and excellence coexist. Many trainees now model their own patient interactions after Faith’s example.
There is no doubt that Dr. Faith Blackmon will be an extraordinary asset to any community she serves. Her integrity is steadfast, her compassion boundless, her respect for every person and advocacy for social justice unwavering. She is the embodiment of the spirit this award seeks to honor. I can think of no one more deserving of the Alper Humanitarian Award.