UK Neonatologist to Receive 2010 “Legacy of Love” Award

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 2, 2010) – The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass have announced that Dr. Nirmala "Nima" S. Desai, a neonatologist at Kentucky Children's Hospital, will be presented with the 2010 “Legacy of Love” award at their annual McDazzle “Red Tie” Gala fundraising event Aug. 20, at the Hilton Hotel, Lexington.

Desai is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She came to UK in 1972 and has cared for and saved the lives of many babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kentucky Children's Hospital. She is not only recognized and loved by parents, but also the children who have grown up healthy, and the UK faculty and staff.

"Nirma was the original neonatologist here," said Dr. Tim Bricker, Jacqueline A. Noonan, M.D. Children's Miracle Network Endowed Professor and chair, Department of Pediatrics at the UK College of Medicine, and physician-in-chief of Kentucky Children’s Hospital. "She was the first person at UK with special training in neonatology when she came from Harvard. For her entire career, Nirmala has been the emotional anchor as well as a clinician in the neonatology program."

Desai, who also is co-director of the NICU follow-up clinic at Kentucky Children's Hospital and helped open the first Neonatal Graduate Clinic at the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health in Hazard in 2008, is not only a successful physician, but she also is the "soul of our program," Bricker said. "Over the years, she has been one of the quiet, but always dependable heroes of the program."

Desai has completed numerous research projects involving neonates and continues to be an active researcher. In addition, she has published books, articles, abstracts, and has given lectures nationally and internationally. 

"This is a fitting award," said Dr. Emery A. Wilson, interim dean, UK College of Medicine. "She has provided a legacy of love and medical expertise to many children and their parents over the years."

Previous special honors and recognitions for Desai include the Jacqueline Noonan Teaching Award; Miracle Maker Award; Warren Wheeler Teaching Award (twice); and American Medical Association Medical Education Award. In 2009, she received the Pediatric Department Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

"It has been an honor and privilege to serve the children of Kentucky," said Desai. "I am passionate about taking care of sick neonates and supporting their parents. It’s extremely gratifying to see the babies and families come back to visit the NICU, and it’s especially rewarding to receive their graduation announcements from high school and college. 

Tickets for the McDazzle Gala can be purchased by calling (859) 268-0747. The Red Tie Gala begins at 7 p.m. and will feature a live and silent auction, gourmet dinner as well as live music and dancing with “The Sensations.” Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass and their mission to create and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and to strengthen families by keeping them together in times of medical need. 

The Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Bluegrass creates and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children and to strengthen families by keeping them together in times of medical need. The Ronald McDonald House® in Lexington opened its doors in 1984 and has served over 25,000 families.