David Young, PharmD, Awarded Mary M. Kontos Care Champion Award
Congratulations to David Young, PharmD, for winning this year's Mary M. Kontos Care Champion Award! This award is given by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation each year to a member of a care team in recognition of distinct dedication to their work, passion for excellence, and a commitment to care and advocacy for individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Recipients of this award have leadership roles within the CF community.
This award is named after Mary Margaret Kontos, PNP, a CF nurse coordinator who exemplified these characteristics. In addition to her devotion to people with CF, she played a key role in her center's team functioning. She was regarded as a pioneer in advanced practice nursing and was an author of many articles about CF. She played key roles in the CF Foundation efforts to advance quality improvement locally and nationally. She mentored and inspired a generation of CF nurses and care team members.
Dr. Young is receiving this award because he pioneered the idea of pharmacy support at a CF Center. The University of Utah CF Center was the first in the world to have such support and the only center in the world for many years. In 2015, he was invited to speak at the Australo-Asian CF Society, signaling rapidly growing international recognition for his efforts. He has since spoken several times on various aspects of the pharmacy program within the CF Center to implement similar programs throughout Australia, New Zealand, the United States and other CF Centers in Europe.