Award of Service Excellence

This national award is given to a practicing case manager who exemplifies the essence of CM — innovation, creativity, collaboration, and resourcefulness! This award recognizes an "in-the-trenches," grassroots case manager whose day-to-day CM practice has transformed the field and contributed to the greater good — not only for their clients but also for their community. Through this distinguished honor, CMSA desires to recognize the extraordinary importance one individual can make through outstanding initiative, inspiration to others, and significant contributions to improving the quality of practice. 

This year’s Award of Service Excellence recipient, Dr. Hussein Tahan, brings more than 30 years of experience in acute and ambulatory care services, hospital leadership, and operations. The first in his family to attend college, Dr. Tahan migrated to the United States at 23 after earning his Bachelor of Science degree from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, later completing his MSN in Nursing Administration from the University of Mount Saint Vincent and both his PhD and DNS from Columbia University. A prolific author, he has published more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and authored three textbooks on case management, including CMSA’s Core Curriculum for Case Management; his Case Manager’s Survival Guide was one of the first textbooks published in the field. Today, Dr. Tahan serves as Chief Nursing Officer and System Vice President of Nursing Professional Development, Workforce Management, and Academic Affairs at MedStar Health, where he oversees strategies supporting nearly 10,000 nurses and 3,500 care associates. Colleagues describe him as a servant leader, thoughtful communicator, and inspirational mentor whose contributions have defined and advanced the profession of case management nationally and globally. His many honors include Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing, recognition as part of CMSA’s inaugural class of Fellows in Case Management, the American Journal of Nursing’s Book of the Year Award, the Nursing Outlook Award of Excellence, and CMSA’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. Beyond leadership and writing, he has taught and developed graduate nursing programs, mentored countless doctoral students, and shaped research focused on case management. Reflecting on his journey, Dr. Tahan emphasizes that case management is more than a specialty—it is a calling rooted in compassion, advocacy, collaboration, and innovation. Please join us in congratulating the 2025 Award of Service Excellence recipient, Dr. Hussein Tahan.