CMSA Lifetime Achievement Award

The CMSA Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual whose professional accomplishments have made a significant and lasting impact on the field of case management, and whose life and character have earned the respect and admiration of their professional colleagues.

The CMSA Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious award the organziation will bestow on its most dedicated professional. The purpose of the Award is to recognize an individual's outstanding, life-long achievement and demonstrated value over many years of practice in multiple areas within the professional practice of case management.

This is not an annual award, but is based on recommendations when received for Board review and determination. There may  not be more than one recipient per year.

Recommendations for the Award can be submitted annually, with a deadline of February 14th. View the Award criteria and submit your recommendation HERE.

The Case Management Society of America is honored to present the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award to Patricia Noonan, a true leader, clinician, advocate, and mentor whose work has profoundly shaped professional case management. Before her retirement in 2021, Pat served as Director of Care Management at Beth Israel Lahey Health Performance Network, where she led integrated care initiatives for high-risk Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial populations, ensuring patient-centered, efficient, and high-quality transitional and ambulatory care. With roots in medical-surgical and emergency nursing, she brought clinical insight and compassion to every role, combining strategic vision with a deep respect for the individuals behind each care plan. For more than 17 years, she presented nationally on public policy, population health, dementia care, and care transitions, and even secured grant funding to advance innovative transition programs. A dedicated CMSA leader, Pat served on the National Board, Finance Committee, and as Chair of the Public Policy Committee, where she built networks of advocates and spent 14 years representing case management on Capitol Hill. She continues to serve as a CMSA Foundation Board Director and Chair of the Public Information Committee. Among her many accolades, she was named CMSA’s Case Manager of the Year in 2021, received the Award of Service Excellence in 2017, and was inducted as a Case Management Fellow in 2022. Her local leadership in CMSNE has been equally impactful, advancing licensure initiatives and elevating educational programming. Colleagues describe her as an inspiration whose energy, kindness, and passion for case management are contagious. Pat herself reflects on her journey with gratitude, calling case management the highlight of her career and service through CMSA a source of deep joy. Beyond her professional legacy, Pat cherishes her husband of 45 years, Kenneth, their children, and grandchildren. We proudly recognize Patricia Noonan as the 2025 CMSA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.