A nursing facility and hospice medical director who has served as a passionate advocate for palliative care in the San Diego region has been named the 2022 recipient of the Doris A. Howell Award for Advancing Palliative Care, presented annually by the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care.
A $25,000 gift in Howell’s honor from philanthropist Darlene Marcos Shiley accompanies the annual award and is bestowed on a local health care organization with ties to the selected recipient. This year’s beneficiary organization will be named shortly.
Karl Steinberg, MD, medical director for many San Diego-based agencies and facilities since the mid-1990s, is this year’s Howell honoree, the Cal State San Marcos-based institute announced. Steinberg has served as medical director for organizations that include Hospice by the Sea, Carlsbad By The Sea Care Center, Mariner Health Care (21 facilities), Shea Family Care, La Paloma Healthcare Center and Scripps Coastal Medical Center.
He also has served on the board of directors of the San Diego County Medical Society and the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, and as member, delegate or officer for the California Medical Association; California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine (CALTCM); American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; American Medical Association; and AMDA. He currently serves as president of National POLST, which sets national standards for portable medical orders.
Steinberg was nominated for the award by Jennifer Moore Ballentine, CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care and the former executive director of the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care.
“In his work with patients, Dr. Steinberg offers an expert and empathic bedside presence. His authentic humility and devotion to the well-being of every person he encounters – whether in the facility, the classroom or the legislative hearing room – are always to the fore,” Ballentine said. “Dr. Steinberg is also a tireless advocate, teacher, writer and leader who has significantly advanced palliative care in the San Diego region across many fronts. He has ‘worked the halls’ in the state capitol, testified and advised on legislation affecting medical decision-making for and by frail elders, and lent his voice and strength to many causes with direct impact on people living with serious illness.”
Steinberg will receive the award when the institute celebrates its 10th anniversary on March 1 from 5:30-8:30 at the Hilton Long Beach. The celebration will include a reception and a presentation by writer Nikki Erlick, followed by a signing of her New York Times bestselling debut novel “The Measure.”
Anyone who would like to attend the reception is asked to RSVP to the email address RSVPHowellAward@csusm.edu by February 20, 2023.
The Howell award is named after the late Dr. Doris Howell, a legendary physician and pioneer in pediatric hematology, oncology and community medicine who in 1977 founded San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine (SDHIPM).
For more information about the institute and/or the Howell award, visit csupalliativecare.org.
About California State University San Marcos
Building on a 33-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to student success fueled by innovation, education and community partnerships. Located on a 306-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange counties.
The university enrolls more than 16,000 students. It ranks among the national leaders in social mobility, increasing the opportunities and improving the life trajectories of underrepresented students. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014 — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.
