The Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award - 2018: Sister Katherine Seibert, M.D., ’67 M.S., ’73 Ph.D.

2018: Sister Katherine Seibert, M.D., ’67 M.S., ’73 Ph.D.

For her special work initiating and developing a quality cancer program in a county where there were no cancer services previously, and for her current compassionate medical care of the underserved, Sister Katherine Seibert, M.D., ’67 M.S., ’73 Ph.D. was presented with the Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award.

Dr. Seibert, a Sister of Charity for 65 years, while working on her thesis at Notre Dame, felt called to help people with cancer by specializing in clinical oncology.

Following medical school, she trained at the National Cancer Institute and St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis. After serving as chief of medical oncology at several hospitals in New York City, she was recruited to develop an oncology program in Sullivan County, NY. She became a surveyor for accreditation of other cancer programs by the Commission on Cancer. She is a clinical associate professor of medicine at New York Medical College, where she volunteered to teach medical ethics. She has published numerous articles and has received many awards for her professional accomplishments and community service.

For the past 12 years, she has worked as an internist at Hudson River HealthCare in Monticello, NY caring for the underserved and vulnerable. She also mentors a physician assistant, and together they provide medical care for undocumented farmworkers.

In her spare time, she trains rescue dogs to become certified therapy dogs.

“The gift you have received, give as a gift (Matthew 10:8). This award is a celebration of God’s gifts to me, which were nourished, focused, and strengthened at Notre Dame for my life’s work of teaching, healing, and caring for the poor.”