Kate Fitzpatrick Barnico '80

Kate Fitzpatrick Barnico ’80, program nurse manager at the Boston Children’s Hospital Cystic Fibrosis Center, received the Mary Kontos Care Champion Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the world’s leader in the fight against the disease. The award “recognizes the contributions of non-physician members of a care team who demonstrate a passion for excellence and commitment to the care of individuals with cystic fibrosis.” She accepted the award in front of 3,000 attendees at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Philadelphia in November 2022. Barnico graduated in 1980 from Skidmore’s nursing program, spending two years on the Saratoga Springs campus and two years on Skidmore’s New York City nursing campus. That same year, she started her career as a member of an adolescent medical unit team at Boston Children’s Hospital, caring for some of the hospital’s sickest children, including those with cystic fibrosis. At that time, the average life expectancy for cystic fibrosis patients was age 15. “Today, thanks to the efforts of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the development of improved medications, it is age 53,” Barnico says. Cystic fibrosis is a progressive genetic disease in which thick mucus affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. About 40,000 children and adults across the United States live with the disease. “I love my work. I still have the fire of my youth, and I now have the wisdom that comes with age and experience,” says Barnico, who has been in her current position since 2008 in one of the largest cystic fibrosis centers in the nation. “Every day, I feel like the staff and I make a difference in the lives of our patients and their families.”