At this year’s End of Life Options Colorado Conference, we are honored to recognize two individuals whose contributions have profoundly shaped both Colorado’s and the national Medical Aid in Dying landscape. These awards also pay tribute to the leaders whose legacy continues to guide this work.
The Kim Mooney Award for Excellence in Service to the Colorado Community will be presented to Dr. Kerri Mason. Dr. Mason’s leadership and commitment to Medical Aid in Dying at Denver Health have been exceptional, with an impact that extends across the community. A board-certified emergency medicine physician, she has served as an attending physician in the Denver Health Residency in Emergency Medicine for 15 years. She is also the medical director of Denver Health’s Medical Aid in Dying program and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. We are proud to recognize her outstanding service and dedication.
This year also marks the introduction of a new award honoring the legacy of Dr. Charlie Hamlin, whose work advanced education and professional excellence in Medical Aid in Dying care. The inaugural recipient of the Charlie Hamlin Award for Excellence in End-of-Life Education is Dr. Lonny Shavelson.
Dr. Shavelson has been a leading voice in Medical Aid in Dying for more than 30 years. He is the author of A Chosen Death (1994) and contributed to amicus briefs considered by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1996. Following the implementation of California’s End of Life Option Act in 2016, he founded a medical practice focused on advancing clinical standards in aid-in-dying care.
A founding member of the Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine in 2020, Dr. Shavelson has played a key role in education, mentorship, research, and the development of evidence-based best practices. He also serves as editor of the Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine and is the author of the Academy’s patient guide, Medical Aid in Dying: A Guide for Patients and Their Supporters.
We invite you to join us in celebrating these remarkable leaders. Click here to learn more about the conference and register.