ASHRM Health Care Risk Professional of the Year Award
This award honors an individual who demonstrates exceptional leadership, innovation, and service in the health care risk profession.
Eligibility
- Anyone who currently practices health care risk management for a health care organization, financial institution, government entity, risk management consultation, insurance industry, or legal practice.
- Must be a current ASHRM member
- Demonstrated leadership through one of the following criteria:
- CPHRM
- Past ASHRM or State/Regional Chapter committee member or chair
- Speaker at ASHRM Annual Conference, webinar or State/Regional Chapter Conference
- Past member of ASHRM or State/Regional Chapter Board
- Serve as ASHRM faculty
- FASHRM
- DFASHRM
- Self-nominations are allowed.
Criteria
- Work as an effective collaborator to produce positive results
- Deeply committed to risk management and contributes to the advancement and service to the risk management community
- Shows outstanding innovation through creativity when confronted with challenges, issues or a need or desire for improvement
- Strong leadership skills through the ability to guide and inspire others
- Demonstration of value creation through the implementation of a risk program
What Do the Recipients Get?
- Engraved prestigious crystal award.
- One complimentary registration to ASHRM's annual conference.
- A spotlight in the following year's HRM Week.
- Will be honored during the ASHRM in-person annual conference.
Nominate Now
Congratulations to the 2025 Health Care Risk Professional of the Year!

Poonam M. Panicker
Sr. Corporate Quality & Patient Safety Manager
Mediclinic Middle East
Past Award Recipients
2024: Joann Wortham-Moody, RN, DNP, JD, CPHRM
2023: Tracy L. Melina, DFASHRM
2022: Paul John D'Aquila, RN, JD, CPHRM
2021: Jean B. Hood, RN, MSN, CPHRM, CPPS, FASHRM
2020: Barbara McCarthy, RN, MPH, CIC, CPHQ, CPHRM, FASHRM
2019: Karen Garvey, DFASHRM, CPHRM, CPPS
2018: Rebecca Cady, Esq., BSN, CPHRM, DFASHRM, FACHE
