SpecialtyCare’s education scholarship program is designed to support and assist cardiovascular perfusion students who demonstrate the potential to advance patient-focused care in a way that honors the legacies of Jim Brown and Gary Brukardt. The selection committee was delighted by the strong response and overwhelming quality of this year’s candidate pool, which further illustrates the extraordinary talent and commitment of our finalists. With this in mind, I am pleased to announce that the recipients of the 2018 Brown-Brukardt Perfusion Education Scholarships are Jacki Brolhorst and Robert DeGiosio. We are confident that they will make significant contributions to patients’ lives and the practice of cardiovascular perfusion for years to come.
SpecialtyCare’s Executive Leadership supports the funding of perfusion education tuition for two students enrolled in CAAHEP-accredited programs. We will begin accepting the next round of applications for the Brown-Brukardt Perfusion Scholarship Program on December 1, 2017. Perfusion is both a vital medical service and a smart career choice. About 350,000 people need open heart surgery and related cardiovascular perfusion support every year. However, hospitals are currently experiencing a perfusionist shortage, and qualified experts are in high demand. We are committed to actively recruiting smart, motivated men and women into the field to ensure that surgeons and patients have skilled perfusion care available when they need it most.
Evidence-based patient blood management (PBM) strategies offer significant clinical benefits. Conservation techniques, in particular, help minimize the use of allogeneic red blood cell transfusion, which has been shown to increase the risk of postoperative complications, readmissions, and mortality among patients. Because of the importance of this area of study, SpecialtyCare researchers continue to drill down and analyze the perfusion and autotransfusion cases in SCOPE, the SpecialtyCare Operative Procedural Registry™, to examine the impact of various strategies, develop best practices, and improve patient outcomes.
SpecialtyCare is determined to drive awareness of perfusion as both a vital medical service and a smart career choice. As part of this effort, we are proud to officially launch the Brown-Brukardt Perfusion Scholarship Program. Every year, SpecialtyCare will award perfusion education tuition to two students enrolled in CAAHEP-accredited programs. Jim Brown and Gary Brukardt—men with close ties to SpecialtyCare who helped evolve the practice of perfusion over the last three decades—exemplified integrity, leadership, and dedication to patient care. Our goal is to support students who share these qualities and demonstrate outstanding potential as cardiovascular perfusionists.