“My Beloved Dr. Gannon” – Congratulations to ACES Award Honoree Jessica Gannon, MD
The Department of Psychiatry congratulates Jessica Gannon, MD, who has received a 2019 UPMC ACES award. This prestigious award, received by fewer than 1% of UPMC staff annually, honors individuals who regularly go above and beyond.
Dr. Gannon is medical director for Ambulatory Comprehensive Recovery Services (CRS) and was nominated for an ACES award by the therapists who work with her at the CRS Ambulatory Clinic. She is well known among her colleagues for treating patients with dignity and respect, and is particularly skilled at helping those who have been reluctant to engage in treatment. By working closely with these individuals, demonstrating her caring attitude and willingness to listen to fears and concerns, as well as collaborating effectively with families and medical care providers, Dr. Gannon has delivered the highest quality behavioral health care even in the most challenging situations.
Dr. Gannon’s ACES award nomination included the following story, which is emblematic of her outstanding commitment to patient care:
“A long-standing patient of Dr. Gannon’s was suffering from treatment-refractory psychoses. After a lengthy and slow process of listening to him, educating him, and working to convince him to try one of the hardest medications to use in psychiatry, he finally agreed to undertake a trial of clozapine. She managed to do this with a patient who typically did not trust anyone in the medical establishment, nor even his own family. The outcome was outstanding, the patient went on to college, completed a software engineering degree, and was able to find work—another rarity in severe mental illness—and is now a huge proponent of this medication, attributing all this to ‘my beloved Dr. Gannon’”!
Reflecting on this honor, Dr. Gannon said, “As a physician leader, patient care is my first priority, so being recognized for my clinical work is an incredible honor. I am moved to have been nominated by team members with recognized expertise and combined decades of experience in serving our most vulnerable patients. I am very grateful for their support.”
Congratulations, Dr. Gannon!