The Cunniff-Dixon Foundation

The Cunniff Dixon Foundation

Enriching the provider-patient relationship near the end of life through education, collaboration and recognition.

The Cunniff-Dixon Foundation Awards

The Cunniff-Dixon Foundation Awards recognize exceptional physicians and nurses nationwide providing exemplary end-of-life care. The awards foster skills and virtues by providing financial prizes to those physicians and nurses, at all phases of their career, who have shown their care of patients to be outstanding, a model of good medicine for other caregivers, and a great benefit in advancing the centrality of end-of-life care as a basic part of the caregiver-patient relationship.

The 2027 Nursing Award nominations will open on October 1, 2026. Please consider creating a nomination this Fall for an outstanding nurse in palliative care.
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Foundation News

Planning my Way

Planning My Way (PMW) is a comprehensive end of life care workbook experience designed to help individuals and families contemplate, discuss, and communicate legal and supporting future health care directives effectively.

Awards

The Cunniff-Dixon Physician and Nursing awards recognize physicians and nurses practicing in the United States who give exemplary care to patients at the end of life. Over $1M has been awarded to deserving honorees collectively over the last decade.

Influencer Interview Series

We have been privileged to engage with some of the brightest and best leaders in the field of palliative and end of life care. We salute them in our influencer interview series and are privileged to bring to you their knowledge and wisdom.

Surgeons guide to palliative care

A highly regarded and carefully created manual specifically written for surgeons in training, regardless of future sub-specialty career choices to offer guidance and management of the most salient problems encountered in palliative care.

Disponible en Español

Downloadable Guides

Free for Users

Planning My Way

Planning My Way (PMW) is a project of the Cunniff-Dixon Foundation and received broad review from a diverse panel of end-of-life and ethics experts including clinicians, clergy and consumer advocates. Our partnerships helped bring that work forward to a consumer-oriented print and digital workbook experience that helps individuals and families think about, learn and communicate what matters to them as they contemplate both legal and supporting future health care directives.

Foundation VIDEOS

Gina Piscitello, MD, MS, FAAHPM | BEYOND RESEARCH 

Celebrating Early Career Awardee Gina Piscitello, MD, MS, FAAHPM We were delighted to celebrate Gina Piscitello, MD, MS, FAAHPM, one of three 2026 Early Career Physician Award recipients. Gina was honored for her outstanding contributions at the intersection of medical ethics and palliative care. Gina was nominated by Robert Arnold, MD, and Donna Durant, DNP.

Melinda Mayorga, RN, MSN, CNS, AGCNS-BC, OCN | UNSTOPPABLE 
Spotlight on Compassion: The Enduring Legacy of Mel Mayorga, RN, MSN, CNS, AGCNS-BC, OCN In the bustling heart of downtown Los Angeles, where the demands of cutting-edge cancer care meet the quiet dignity of end-of-life support, one nurse stands as a beacon of unwavering empathy and innovation.

Erin Collins, MN, RN, CHPN | PEACEFUL TRAILBLAZER
Erin’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that planning for death and discussing it openly can significantly reduce the suffering associated with life’s final chapter. Her work fosters a culture of acceptance and tenderness, ensuring that patients and their families are supported with dignity and care.

Jackie Palmore, RN, BSN, CHPN | ENDLESS HUMANITY                                                                  She’s a clinical coordinator for the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center. A registered nurse for 38 years, she has helped train more than 50 hospice and palliative care teams nationwide, and spearheaded the creation of the first hospice program in the Alabama Department of Corrections.