Fairfield Legislator Honored by Hartford County Physicians

State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey of Fairfield and Bridgeport joined five physicians from UCONN Health, Connecticut Children’s, and Trinity Health in being honored at the annual meeting of the Hartford County Medical Association (HCMA). Awards included the Physician Distinguished Service Award, Young Physician Research Awards, Physician Community Service Award. The Legislator of the Year Award was presented to Rep. McCarthy Vahey, who serves as Co-Chair of the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee.

As House Chair of Public Health, Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey was a key figure in passing key legislation such as SB 9, An Act Concerning Health and Wellness for Connecticut Residents which was recently signed into law. Part of this bill includes reforms to noncompete contracts for physicians, which will allow for more freedom of movement for physicians employed by large health systems. Rep. McCarthy Vahey also led efforts on passing legislation like HB 6741, An Act Improving the Safety of Health Care Providers and Patients, which directs the state Department of Public Health to take steps toward enhancing patient and employee safety in healthcare settings. Connecticut House Speaker Matt Ritter attended to help present the award.

“It is important for the Hartford County Medical Association to acknowledge some of the outstanding physicians and leaders in our region because so many of them are under-recognized for their work,” stated Frank Santoro, MD, president of the Hartford County Medical Association and a dermatologist at Hartford HealthCare. “Over 100 physicians joined us at our award ceremony to show our appreciation for the work of our colleagues and legislators.” Dr. Santoro added.

Timothy Chartier, MD, Distinguished Service Award was presented to Laureen F. Rubino, MD. Dr. Rubino is a highly skilled general surgeon who has been in private practice in Manchester since 1993. Dr. Rubino is a past president of the HCMA and currently serves as one of HCMA’s liaisons to the Connecticut State Medical Society. Dr. Rubino has been the chief of surgery for the Eastern Connecticut Health Network since 2002. Senator Saud Anwar presented her with a special state proclamation.

The 2023 Community Service Award was presented to Kerry Moss, MD. Dr. Moss is the Medical Director for the Sunflower Kids Palliative Care Program at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where she is also a Pediatric Oncologist and expert in the care of survivors of childhood cancer. Following her subspecialty training in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at The Children’s Hospital of Colorado she returned to Connecticut Children’s as an Attending Physician. In 2010, when no pediatric palliative care programs existed in the state of Connecticut, Dr. Moss initiated the Sunflower Kids Palliative Care Program and has continued to dedicate her career to supporting families and children by reducing the impact of severe disease on quality of life.

The Young Physician Research Awards were presented to three physicians. Audrey Marinelli, MD of UCONN Health shared her project in entitled, “Improving Workup and Diagnosis of Maternal Cardiovascular Disease.” Matthew Cummins, MD, of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center shared information on “Antenatal Risk of Coarctation for Newborns in Hartford.” Erica Becker, MD of UCONN Health received her award for her findings on “Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) is the Fastest Growing Indication for Liver Transplantation.”

The Pond House Café in Elizabeth Park was the setting for the HCMA Annual Fall Reception and Award Ceremony. The event was held on Wednesday September 27, 2023, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The keynote speaker was Barry Stein, MD, the Chief Clinical Innovation Officer at Hartford HealthCare. The topic is “AI in Healthcare: Advancement or Threat?”

Guests were entertained by “Dr. Violin,” Patrick Bogui, a soulful violinist and fourth year medical student at UCONN and aspiring medical doctor. The social gathering began on the patio with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and followed by a buffet dinner in the Garden Room. The evening concluded with dessert and coffee. hcma.org