Each year the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of pastoral care through its Annual Leadership Awards. This year's Anton Boisen Professional Service Award recipient is the Rev. Delois Brown-Daniels, vice president of Mission and Spiritual Care at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, a part of Advocate Health Care. The award was presented during the APC's 2005 Annual Conference in Albuquerque, NM, on April 10.
The Anton Boisen Professional Service Award is named in honor of a pioneer in chaplaincy and clinical pastoral education. Each year the award is given to a Board Certified Chaplain of the APC who demonstrates a commitment to excellence in professional chaplaincy and has offered a unique contribution to contemporary pastoral care. For almost 25 years, Rev. Brown-Daniels has offered outstanding leadership in various healthcare organizations and in her professional community. She is the author of various articles on pastoral care published in books and professional journals. She has served on various civic and religious boards of directors.
Affectionately known to many as Rev. Dee, she brings integrity, sensitivity, compassion and a commitment to ministry that enriches every environment in which she serves. She accepted the challenge in 2000 of forming the first pastoral care department in the 100-year history of Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Along with serving on the management team as vice president of Mission and Spiritual Care at the hospital, Rev. Brown-Daniels recruited a strong team of full time clinical chaplains.
"This award honors the creative vision and unique talent of our association members," said Robert Kidd, president of the Association of Professional Chaplains. "Chaplain Brown-Daniels has exhibited visionary leadership in the APC, which not only strengthens our association, but increases awareness of the importance of professional spiritual care in her community." She is the first African American to receive this award.
Rev. Brown-Daniels has championed a strong commitment to diverse interfaith ministry in numerous healthcare settings and her efforts create an ethos where a variety of spiritual and religious expressions are welcomed and respected. She has developed partnerships with local clergy associations and community service organizations such as The Night Ministry, Casa Central, and the Community Renewal Society. As an advocate for excellence in professional chaplaincy, Rev. Brown-Daniels models a leadership philosophy that is shaping the practice of contemporary spiritual care. Like Anton Boisen, for whom this award is named, Rev. Delois Brown-Daniels has a pastoral heart which has both touched those she serves and influenced the profession of pastoral care.
Rev. Brown-Daniels holds dual standing in the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church. Now a Board Certified Chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains, she was initially certified as a Fellow in the former College of Chaplains in 1985. She is also a Certified Supervisor through the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and has held active leadership positions in both associations. She served on the College of Chaplains Board of Directors from 1990 to 1997 and was a part of the merger team of the College of Chaplains and the Association of Mental Health Clergy that led to the formation of the APC.
She is a graduate of Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, and received her Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. She is the recipient of the Yale Divinity School 2002 Alumna Board Award for Distinction in Service to the Community. She is married to the Rev. Dr. David Daniels, a professor at McCormick Theological Seminary. They have two children, David and DeAndrea.
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center is a 561-bed hospital with a Level I trauma center and Level III perinatal and obstetric center, the highest designations awarded by the State of Illinois. Illinois Masonic features a comprehensive inpatient hospital, including medical, surgical, obstetrics and pediatric inpatient care services; a cardiology program that includes open-heart surgery; outpatient services; and a physician office building.
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