Washington Health Foundation honors two medical faculty

The Washington Health Foundation has honored two UW faculty members as Heroes of Health Care.

Christopher Blagg, professor emeritus of medicine, and E. Patchen "Patch" Dellinger, professor and vice chair of surgery, were recognized by the foundation.

Blagg, also executive director emeritus of the Northwest Kidney Centers, received a lifetime achievement award. Blagg was recognized for promoting in-home kidney dialysis therapy, as well as for developing public policy for renal disease treatment and kidney transplantation.

Dellinger was the first recipient of the foundation's Excellence in Patient Safety Award, in recognition of his work to prevent surgical infections. Dellinger chaired the national Surgical Infection Prevention Collaborative between 56 hospitals in 49 states. The research was aimed at improving surgical steps for reducing infections. Dellinger is also chief of the Division of General Surgery in the UW Department of Surgery.

The Washington Health Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health and access to quality health care for people across the state, including medically underserved populations in rural and urban areas.