Dr. Stephen Trzeciak honored with inaugural National Schwartz Compassion Champion Award
December 18
Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH, chair of the department of medicine and professor of medicine at and emergency medicine at CMSRU and the Edward D. Viner Endowed Chief of Medicine and medical director for the Adult Health Institute at Cooper University Health Care, has been awarded the inaugural Schwartz Compassion Champion Award by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare. The honor was presented at the organization’s 30th Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner in Boston in late November. The event brought together healthcare leaders and supporters from across the country and raised more than $900,000 to fund programs supporting compassionate patient care. Dr. Trzeciak also delivered the evening’s keynote address.
A national honor reflecting Cooper’s commitment to compassionate care
Dr. Trzeciak, internationally recognized as the co-author, along with Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, of the acclaimed book Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference, has dedicated his career to elevating the science of compassion in medicine. His leadership at Cooper has helped shape a culture where empathy, connection, and evidence-based compassionate care are central to clinical excellence.
“Dr. Trzeciak's research and advocacy have fundamentally changed how we think about the role of compassion in healthcare,” said Michael Gustafson, MD, MBA, CEO of the Schwartz Center. “His work has helped advance the scientific foundation for what we’ve always believed—that compassion is a critical component of effective medical care.”
Through his research and publications, Dr. Trzeciak has shown that compassion not only enhances patient experience but also improves clinical outcomes and healthcare team well-being—evidence that continues to influence Cooper’s own compassionate care initiatives.
A Message That Resonates Across Cooper and CMSRU
“I am honored to be recognized by the Schwartz Center,” said Dr. Trzeciak. “The science is clear: compassion improves outcomes for patients and strengthens the well-being of healthcare teams. But beyond the data, compassion is what connects us to the very purpose of medicine—caring for people in their most vulnerable moments.”
He added that he hopes this recognition helps further advance the science of compassion so it becomes a core competency across all healthcare settings. Leaders at the event echoed the power of his message. “He has given us the scientific data to advocate for what we know in our hearts to be true—that compassion heals,” said Jean-Paul Rebillard, chair of the Schwartz Center Board.
In addition to Dr. Trzeciak’s recognition, the Schwartz Center honored three healthcare professionals as the 2025 National Compassionate Caregivers of the Year®. For nearly 30 years, the Schwartz Center has supported healthcare organizations—including Cooper—through programs such as Schwartz Rounds® that help clinicians reflect on the human side of medicine. Nearly 800 organizations worldwide participate in these programs, which have been shown to strengthen resilience and enhance the delivery of compassionate care.