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Social Workers Recognized

Death has given Bill Taub a deeper appreciation of life.

Taub, the Brandy McDaniel Social Worker of the Year Award winner for 2000, confronts death on a regular basis in his work with cystic fibrosis patients at Duke University Medical Center's pediatric social services department. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that is always fatal, though the life expectancy has nearly doubled in the past two decades from 16 years to about 30 years.

During the 18 years he has worked with cystic fibrosis patients and their families, Taub has developed a greater understanding of what it means to live a good life.

"My clients face the realities of life in ways the rest of us can avoid," said Taub, 54. "You can't do this work for 18 years with an open mind and an open heart and not change as a person."

Taub had undergone some changes even before coming to Duke in 1981. The Paterson, N.J., native was a French major at Rutgers University before heading to Chicago, where he earned a master's degree in teaching at the University of Chicago in 1968. His work as a French, English and math teacher in the Chicago public school system led him to become more involved in the lives of children. He served as the director of an ecumenical youth program and a YMCA camp director before becoming the activities therapist and educational liaison for the inpatient psychiatry service at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

By 1974, the Midwestern winters and inner-city strife were beginning to take their toll. In search of a better quality of life, Taub dipped a toe in North Carolina, though only as far as the Asheville area. Five years later, he was ready to get his master's in social work and set off for Chapel Hill. After completing his master's at UNC-CH in 1981, he applied for clinical social work slots at a number of places, Duke among them. He had already accepted a job when Duke made him an offer to join its small social work department and work in the cystic fibrosis unit.

"When the offer came through, I felt I couldn't turn it down," Taub said. "I'd never worked in a medical setting before, and I'd never worked with a group of dying patients. It sounded like the best experience for me to grow professionally and personally."

Co-workers credit Taub with the success of Camp Kaleidoscope, a three-week summer camp for children with cystic fibrosis held at the Pines of Carolina Girl Scout camp in Henderson. Brandy McDaniel, the first pediatric social worker hired by DUMC, co-founded the camp two years before Taub arrived on the scene, but relinquished her involvement as she succumbed to cancer. Taub, now the camp director, began as a counselor. During the 15 years he has held a leadership position, he's helped the camp grow to serve about 115 children a year.

Taub also has earned a national reputation as the social worker representative on the North American Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's planning committee for the past three years. He has spoken at various meetings around the country and the world, including a World Health Organization conference at The Hague, Netherlands.

While Taub says he appreciates the recognition that the Brandy McDaniel award brings to his 18 years of work with cystic fibrosis patients, he hopes across-the-board cuts in hospital support services around the country will not diminish the quality of health care as a whole. So many people don't see how social workers contribute to full-team care and how much money their work saves the hospital, Taub said.

"My wish is that the kind of work I do as a social worker with chronically ill patients will always be a part of the mission of this medical center, and that we'll always be able to address the well-being of our patients, as well as their health," he said.

Taub said interacting with people who are likely to die before reaching the prime of life makes him value his long-term relationships more, and observing the relentless nature of death has deepened his spirituality.

"A short life can still be an incredibly valuable life," he said. "We all die. Hopefully, we all live the best life we can. Truly, my clients - the patients and their families - give me more than I give them. It's nurturing to me. It's how I cope."

Written by Nancy Oates.