‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’
Prince County Hospital pediatrician is first female doctor to receive Dr. Tom Moore Award
Dr. April MacPhee, a pediatrician at Prince County Hospital in Summerside, is the first female doctor to earn Dr. Tom Moore Award.
SUMMERSIDE – After several minutes extolling the many virtues of her friend and colleague, Sandra Graham, a nurse educator at Prince County Hospital (PCH), tearfully summed her speech.
“Dr. April MacPhee is something special,” she said.
It was sentiment shared by MacPhee’s many colleagues at PCH.
MacPhee, a pediatrician, is the recipient of this year’s Dr. Tom Moore Award.
She is the first female doctor to receive this recognition since the award was created in 1991.
The Dr. Tom Moore Award is given annually to a PCH staffer who is nominated by their colleagues based on their leadership, dedication and service to the facility and its patients.
A winner is chosen by a secret panel of judges.
MacPhee credited the distinction to the many people throughout her life who enable her to do the job she loves.
“Maternal Child Care Unit … is a special place and we are an amazing team. I don’t come in and work solo. I work with different individuals, multidisciplinary people, other physicians, every day, and as a team we work really well and have really good outcomes in our patient care,” said MacPhee.
“I also have amazing patients who I need to thank for trusting me. They are a pleasure to take care of.
She also thanked her husband, Dan Kutcher, and their two children, Emilia and Ayrton, whom she said often share her with extended PCH family.
Originally from Amherst, MacPhee studied medicine at Dalhousie Medical School and accepted her first job at PCH in 2013, immediately after completing her pediatric residency in St. John’s, N.L.
Graham, in introducing MacPhee, said that since the her arrival at PCH, she has not only proven to be a stand-out doctor, but possesses qualities that truly elevate that vocation to something special.
She spoke of such qualities as being a team-player, a community builder, a level-head in any emergency and a source of levity when the situation called for it.
“You are a gem. And you’re ours," she said.