The Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Nursing Awards were established in 2022.

Awards are presented to a total of up to three (3) exceptional nurses in the field of palliative and end-of-life care every other year. Each awardee will receive $25,000.

The awards honor nurses who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to patients near the end of life through their clinical care, research, and/or in service to their community, with the quality of “good nursing” being pivotal.

All nominees must be licensed physicians and nurses practicing in the United States. 

Any individual or group — including professional associates, patients, and their families – may submit nominations.

No more than three nominations per candidate will be accepted (including letters of reference). 

Nominations submitted in prior years may be resubmitted with an updated CV and/or information.

We strongly encourage you to use specific examples and personal anecdotes to make your nomination stand out.

Please Note: If you are using a computer associated with a hospital system, we have encountered problems with our online form due to security/firewall issues. If you do experience issues, please contact info@cunniffdixon.org.

We are continuing to try to make the nominations process as easy as possible for everyone. There is a PDF on this site that explains nomination criteria in more detail. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

The 2028 Physician Award nominations will open as of October 1, 2027.

The Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards have evolved since their inception in 2010.

Currently, awards are presented to a total of four physicians every other year:

Three Early Career Awards (0-10 Years) of $15,000 each;

One Dr. Richard Payne Senior Leadership Award (15+ Years) of $25,000 each.

The number of years used to designate senior and early career physicians is intended to signal total years in practice, not just years in end-of-life care.

The Dr. Richard Payne Senior Leadership Award is named posthumously in honor of Dr. Richard Payne and his inspiring lifelong commitment to the relief of pain and suffering and excellence in end-of-life care. It is intended to honor physicians who work with vulnerable populations, including the economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people, people experiencing homelessness, rural populations, refugees, immigrants and closed populations such as prisons.

All of these awards are meant to honor physicians who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to patients near the end of life through their clinical care, their research, and/or their service to their community.