If you were one of the million Americans who watched The Golden Globes last night, you saw a handful of celebrities win impressive awards for their performance abilities. Just a little over an hour south of Beverly Hills, I attended another awards ceremony: The REAL Awards.
Taking place at the Patient Safety Movement’s Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit, The REAL Awards, created by Save the Children in partnership with the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, honor healthcare professionals and public health workers around the world who are making a difference in improving the health status of populations around the world.
The 2014 honorees were announced last night, and two winners were in attendance to receive their awards in person. Daniel 
Budnitz, a public health officer with the CDC, and Dr. Elmide Nazaire, infirmary director for Hope for Haiti, were honored for the commitment to improving health of others.
Mary Beth Powers, chief of the newborn and child survival campaign at Save the Children said of the awards, "During Hollywood’s awards season, our attention tends to focus on honoring entertainers. This awards program puts a new twist on this phenomenon. It gives Americans a chance to celebrate something deeply honorable — the lifesaving work of countless men and women on the frontlines of healthcare," according to a statement in the News-Press.
I for one was deeply honored to attend the ceremony and in awe of the stories of all the award winners. As an editor who writes most often about healthcare executives, it’s important to be reminded that while executives are critical in guiding organizations, developing culture and executing strategy, it is the front-line workers here in the U.S. and the around the world that are ultimately responsible for the care that saves and improves lives.