UCI Health co-workers honored as ‘Heroes with Heart’
Annual event recognizes clinicians, first responders for their compassion during crisis
February 27, 2025
From left to right: UCI Health — Los Alamitos nurse Mike Ruffalo, UCI Health — Placentia Linda nurse Sabrina Coloma, UCI Medical Center nurse Alexandra Barnette and UCI Health Neonatal Intensive Care Unit physician Dr. Rebecca Coleman at the Heroes with Heart Gala.
Orange, Calif. — Several UCI Health co-workers whose displays of deep compassion and support for patients in need were recently recognized at the 30th annual Heroes with Heart gala, hosted by the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) of Orange County.
Dr. Rebecca Coleman, a physician in the UCI Health Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, was honored with the Marianne Cinat, MD Memorial Award. Her fellow honorees from UCI Health were:
The Marianne Cinat, MD Memorial Award was established in 2011 following the renowned burn and trauma surgeon’s sudden death that year. Cinat was medical director of the UCI Health Regional Burn Center at UCI Medical Center and a professor of surgery. She received the Heroes with Heart Award in 2009 and was a member of the TIP National Board of Directors. The memorial award is TIP’s commitment to honoring her legacy and a tribute to her contributions to medicine.
The Heroes with Heart event each year recognizes individuals from law enforcement, fire and hospitals who have gone above and beyond to provide compassionate care to victims and survivors of crisis.
TIP is a nonprofit organization with 100 trained volunteers available 24 hours a day to assist victims, loved ones, witnesses and bystanders with emotional support and resources. They are called by law enforcement, fire and hospital personnel for immediate assistance in emergency situations.
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About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,317-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, its flagship hospital in Orange, Calif., the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
