Norb Weidner, MD, receives Founders' Award
Norb Weidner, MD, credits his Catholic education for his decision to become a doctor. As a boy growing up in Pittsburgh, he saw medicine as a natural extension of the philosophy that was ingrained in him to respect people and help others.
Weidner, an anesthesiologist, medical director of StarShine Hospice, and director of the Pediatric Palliative and Comfort Care Team at Cincinnati Children’s, has obviously succeeded at his mission. He was honored with the Founders’ Award at the Cincinnati Pediatric Society’s Fall Dinner on November 18.
Weidner earned his MD from Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia in 1975. During that time, he trained at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, which heavily influenced his decision to go into pediatrics. He then came to Cincinnati Children’s for his residency.
“I left the medical center in 1977 to do freelance work,” he recalled. “Back then, Emergency Medicine and Hospital Medicine weren’t recognized as specialties, and formal training for these fields was in its infancy. So you could function as a physician in those roles. I also worked in a pediatric clinic in Batavia, rotating with Mike Farrell, George Hug, Jim Heubi and others.”
In 1981, Weidner went back and finished his residency as chief resident at the University of Dayton. He had his eye on getting into intensive care, but after researching pediatric fellowships, he decided on anesthesia.
“Anesthesia offered more flexibility that allowed me to not only practice intensive care but pain management,” he explained.
He entered the anesthesia program at UC. That experience culminated in a year of study at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, in 1987.
“I learned a great deal there about nerve block techniques, which morphed into an interest in pain relief,” Weidner said.
In 1988, he joined the Department of Anesthesia at Cincinnati Children’s, working in intensive care and the operating room.
“In the early ’90s, the Anesthesia Department took a step back from participating in the critical care area, so I pursued my interest in pain relief following surgery and gradually moved into easing pain associated with cancer and other conditions. This was the start of our current pain management program,” said Weidner.
A tough job
Caring for individuals with life-limiting illness would seem to be one of the hardest jobs there is, but Weidner views it differently.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be asked to participate in the care of someone who is having such a difficult time in their life,” he said. “You get to provide the assistance they need, and it doesn’t always require a pill or a needle. The end of life can be a very complicated experience. Sometimes, it’s more important to just be there, listening and helping them navigate a compassionate and dignified transition.”
Weidner acknowledges his role can be wearing, but there are so many positives.
“I get to collaborate with primary physicians, subspecialists and other tremendously talented individuals—social workers, chaplains, music therapists, massage therapists, nursing staff—as part of StarShine Hospice,” he explained. “It takes all of us, working together to provide what patients and families need in order to get through what they’re going through. It’s a unique and cherished position to be in.”
As he looks back on his career, Weidner is proud and grateful for every opportunity he’s had to learn from families and colleagues.
“I’m pleased that we have a top-flight anesthesia program that is as respected as every other area of the hospital,” he said. “We have a very productive pain program, and we’ve been able to train physicians in regard to acute, chronic and malignant pain problems. It’s been satisfying to watch what we started develop and grow.
“I’m most proud of being part of Cincinnati Children’s. In all honesty, it was not my first choice as a resident, but for whatever reason, I landed here, trained here, and I’ve grown here. It’s been great.”
Weidner, who has received the Cincinnati Children’s Humanitarian Award and the Family Advisory Council’s Staff Award for Excellence in Family-Centered Care, was surprised to be chosen for the Founders’ Award.
“I would not have thought I would be in the same conversation as the many men and women who’ve garnered the award before me,” he said. “So it’s a nice compliment and very much an honor.”
