2012 Kathleen M. Foley Journalist Award

Rita Rubin

Woman’s Day
“Living with Chronic Pain”

Rita Rubin is this year’s recipient for her article published in Woman’s Day, “Living with Chronic Pain.” Rubin’s article provides a thorough review and guide for patients seeking to learn how to manage chronic pain. She covered the role medication should play and advised that some physicians are hesitant about prescribing narcotic analgesics. Her article features an informative section outlining the distinctions between dependence and addiction.

Rita Rubin is a contributing writer for MSNBC.com and Today.com and writes frequently for WebMD. Previously, she covered medicine as a staff writer at USA TODAY, U.S. News & World Report, the Dallas Morning News, the Columbus Citizen-Journal, and the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She is the author of What If I Have a C-Section? published by Rodale in 2004, and her work has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Woman’s Day, POZ, Bethesda Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Health, American Health, McCall’s, and Weight Watchers.

As the leading professional society devoted exclusively to pain, pain management, and pain research, APS sponsors the Kathleen M. Foley Journalist Award to recognize excellence in reporting pain-related topics. The award is designed to honor the work of journalists whose coverage of events, scientific discoveries, patient care, issues, and policies contribute to furthering public awareness and understanding of pain and pain-related issues. '

The award is named for Dr. Foley in recognition of her contributions to furthering professional and public understanding about the need for effective cancer and end-of-life pain management. She is an attending neurologist for the Pain and Palliative Care Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and director of the Project on Death in America sponsored by the Open Society Institute.