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NORWALK

By CHASE WRIGHT

Hour Staff Writer


During a Little League game years ago, Richard Zelkowitz rounded the bases with pride after smacking a homerun over the fence. His father later gave him some advice that has kept him humble ever since.

"He told me, 'You're never as good as they say, and you're never as bad as they say," said Zelkowitz, now a medical hematologist and oncologist with the Whittingham Cancer Center at Norwalk Hospital.

The Connecticut Hospital Association honored Zelkowitz as a "Healthcare Hero" at the organization's annual meeting last week.

The award recognizes the contributions of "exceptional healthcare workers, both to their field and to the community at large," according to the CHA.

"I don't get too high on awards," said Zelkowitz, a Westport resident. "It feels good and it's nice to get them, but that's not what it's all about."

Zelkowitz was instrumental in the development of the Smilow Family Breast Health Center at Norwalk Hospital, which held its official opening in 2007.

The Smilow Breast Health Center, where Zelkowitz serves as medical director, helps navigate patients through the process of referrals and scheduling as they cope with abnormal breast findings.

He and his staff educate the community on the importance of screening for early detection. Under Zelkowitz's leadership, the center has introduced many innovative support programs and services for newly diagnosed patients and breast cancer survivors.

Zelkowitz is loved by patients and coworkers for his extraordinary level of caring and medical expertise, according to Mary Nolan, RN, vice president of nursing at Norwalk Hospital, who nominated him for award along with Mary Franco, president of the Norwalk Hospital Foundation.

Others describe Zelkowitz as a caring professional who greets patients with a sense of humor, but shows compassion in serious situations. Patients say they appreciate his personal approach.

A patient at Smilow Family Breast Health Center, Catherine Ann Stone, describes Zelkowitz in her book "Down to the Marrow" as "the oncologist from some comedy club in heaven."

"The long version of his name is Dr. Zelkowitz, but women only call him that once," Stone writes in her book. "After the first visit, the one in which he gives you his home phone number and invites you to dinner, everyone shortens his name to Dr. Z."

Mary-Ellen Loncto, an RN at Norwalk Hospital, called Zelkowitz "approachable, intelligent and able to motivate people to support great causes."

"Dr. Zelkowitz is everyone's favorite, and that includes patients, staff, fellow physicians and members of the community," said Loncto. "He speaks from the heart and he sincerely is committed to the best outcomes for people with cancer."

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