Badger Awarded Highest Honor From Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 2, 2015) — Karen Badger, University of Kentucky assistant provost and associate dean in undergraduate education and associate professor in the College of Social Work, was recently honored for her service to the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and those impacted by burn injuries at the Phoenix World Burn Congress in Anaheim, California. Badger was awarded the Alan and Delwyn Breslau Award, the highest distinction the Phoenix Society can bestow.

In a letter to Badger, Phoenix Society President Patrick C. Horan said Badger was selected for her "enthusiastic and visionary service to the Phoenix Society and the burn community."

"Your work has helped thousands of burn survivors and the people who love them to begin to live again," wrote Horan. "Your dedication to the work of the Phoenix Society — from being an integral part of the Phoenix SOAR program as it relates to the fire service, to your efforts evaluating the efficiency of the Phoenix Society programs, and the unique perspective you bring as a researcher, mental health provider, and administrator — is appreciated and admired by the entire organization."

The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors offers peer support, education and advocacy to anyone affected by a burn injury, including burn survivors, their loved ones, firefighters, and medical teams across the country. In 2013, the society reached 48,000 people with their efforts.

Badger's work with the society includes collaborating with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Charitable Foundation and National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to adapt the Phoenix SOAR® peer support program to better meet the needs of the fire service. She has also developed and led sessions at the Phoenix World Burn Congress and helped expand Phoenix World Burn Congress offerings for the fire service and their families, according to the Phoenix Burn Support Magazine.

After The Station nightclub fire in 2003, Badger worked with the Phoenix Society to construct and carry out a needs assessment. She has also evaluated programs such as Phoenix SOAR, Journey Back and UBelong, and has partnered with the society to present initiatives at national conferences and other forums. Badger has been a frequent contributor to Burn Support News (now Phoenix Burn Support Magazine), and has served as a member of the Aftercare Reintegration Committee, a joint effort of the American Burn Association (ABA) and the Phoenix Society.

"I am both honored and humbled to have received the Breslau Award from the Phoenix Society," Badger said.

"The award is meaningful to me for several reasons. It is given by the Phoenix Society, the principal nonprofit national organization established to address the needs of the burn community, for which I have deep respect and have had the privilege to work with for many years. The award honors its founders, Alan and Delwyn Breslau, who, following his own burn injury in 1963, recognized the need for and had the vision of such an organization, which was established in 1977.

"The award also emphasizes a 'collaborative spirit' and, although it is given to one individual, this focus recognizes that progress and accomplishments rarely come about because of the action of one person, but because of the work of many.  In accepting the award, I recognized I was sharing it with all of those dedicated people involved in all facets of the burn community that I have had the privilege to work with over the years," Badger said.    

At UK, Badger has served as the director of undergraduate studies in the College of Social Work, and has taught undergraduate and graduate social work courses in areas of ethics, civic engagement, practice, and administration and supervision. Her research at the university centers around undergraduate education and evaluation, as well as her current research efforts examining the psychosocial adjustment of burn survivors.

To find out more information about the Phoenix Society, visit http://www.phoenix-society.org/. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu