Dr. Robert Buxbaum of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Honored with the Mary Davis Barber 2007 Heart of Hospice Award

Norwood, MA - (July 20, 2007) - Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a multi-specialty physician practice and affiliate of Atrius Health, is proud to announce that Dr. Robert Buxbaum, a palliative care physician at Harvard Vanguard, and co-founder of the Massachusetts Compassionate Care Coalition (MCCC), has been selected for the 2007 Mary Davis Barber Heart of Hospice Award.

The Heart of Hospice Award was established by the Hospice & Palliative Care Federation (HPC) of Massachusetts to recognize an individual’s contribution to promoting and advancing excellence in end of life care. Award recipients are nominated for their professional accomplishments as well as their compassion and commitment to leadership in the Commonwealth. The Hospice & Palliative Care Federation is a non-profit organization, founded in 1980, dedicated to the advancement in excellence in end of life care in the Commonwealth.

“Dr. Buxbaum has worked tirelessly as a leader, a teacher, a mentor and a role model for clinicians at all levels in the field of hospice and palliative medicine,” said Mark Yurkofsky, chief of the Extended Care Facilities Program and Palliative Care Program at Harvard Vanguard.

Dr. Buxbaum was recognized for his leadership of the Massachusetts Compassionate Care Coalition, an organization he co-founded in 1999 to promote informed choice, dignity and comfort at the end of life through community-based initiatives. The MCCC is a statewide coalition of consumers and caregivers, providers, clergy, elder lawyers, institutions, organizations and communities committed to improving end-of-life care in Massachusetts. The MCCC’s membership has grown to include numerous partnerships working to positively change cultural attitudes, expectations and practices around death, dying and bereavement.

“Dr. Buxbaum has been a practicing internist at Harvard Vanguard since it was originally founded in 1969 as Harvard Community Health Plan and for the last decade, has devoted himself to improving end of life care,” said Joseph Dorsey, former director of inpatient services for Harvard Vanguard and a board member of Atrius Health. “His consultations and hands-on involvement in difficult end of life family and patient conferences have been highly valued by physicians, nurses, social workers, and clergy across the state.”