HJF nursing specialist wins prestigious Celina Field Cargiver Award

"Christine has been a key leader within our organization. Pain physicians can make plans but pain nursing makes those plans work for patients and families. Christine is the backbone of our acute pain service; she has been a very positive influence in the lives of many wounded warriors. I depend on her," said Col. Chester Buckenmaier, chief, Army Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management Initiative.

Established in 2003, the Army Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management Initiative seeks to improve the management of pain in military and civilian medicine. The initiative is a collaborative research partnership of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington D.C.; Conemaugh Health System, Johnstown, Pa.; Telemedicine and Advanced Technologies Research Center at Fort Detrick, Md.; and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Rockville, Md.

The educational and procedural programs Rupprecht developed and enacted throughout her career have taught countless providers, administrators, patients and family members about holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to pain and pain management by recognizing pain management as a multimodal and multidisciplinary challenge.

Rupprecht continues to serve as a clinical resource for the Army pain initiative, which has become the model for many civilian pain management programs. Rupprecht, a registered nurse for more than 30 years, is the recipient of the Brian Wilhem Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Military Regional Anesthesia.

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) is a private, not-for-profit organization established in 1983 and authorized by Congress to support medical research and education at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and throughout the broader military medical community. For more information, visit www.hjf.org.