Washington, D.C., The 2d Annual Health Care Quality Improvement Awards honored three national leaders in quality improvement at a ceremony on Friday, September 7, 2001, at the Annual Session of the American Health Quality Association (AHQA) in San Diego, California.

The Annual Health Care Quality Improvement Awards are sponsored by the James Q. Cannon Memorial Endowment, a nonprofit organization that funds scholarships for individuals interested in pursuing careers in the field of health care quality improvement. AHQA is one of the nation's leading associations devoted to quality improvement.

This year's awards recognized Dr. John E. Wennberg, Director of the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth Medical School; Philip K. Dunne, Chief Executive Officer of the TMF Health Quality Institute; and Dr. William E. Golden, Vice President for Clinical Quality Improvement at the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care.

Dr. Wennberg, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, is an Epidemiologist and Professor of Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth. He has pioneered research identifying variations in medical practices throughout the United States, as well as research on the geographic variations in treatments for certain illnesses. Dr. Wennberg has had enormous influence furthering the work of the nationwide network of Quality Improvement Organizations serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Philip K. Dunne, winner of the Distinguished Executive Leadership Award, has overseen efforts by the TMF Health Quality Institute to improve patient care through cooperation with the health care community and consumer organizations throughout Texas. He has distinguished himself by advancing the work of all Quality Improvement Organizations nationwide and is in the forefront of leading large-scale efforts to improve the health of millions of people across the United States.

Dr. Golden, winner of the Excellence in Physician Leadership Award, directs the Division of General Internal Medicine at University of Arkansas. Dr. Golden has been a national leader in many organizations including AHQA, the Institute of Medicine, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Quality Forum, and American Society of Internal Medicine. His leadership has specifically resulted in improvements in stroke prevention, treatment of heart attacks, and improving rates for preventative services such as immunization of adults and mammography.

The American Health Quality Association represents quality improvement organizations and health care professionals working to improve patient safety and the quality of health care nationwide.