Professional Achievement Award

Dr. Daniel P. Mahoney, H Sci ’06
Houston, Texas

As a pediatric palliative physician at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), Dr. Daniel Mahoney specializes in providing relief to children who are suffering. He identifies the Jesuit idea of cura personalis as a defining characteristic of his work: “Care for the whole person is what I strive to do every time I meet a new child and their family.”

While Daniel acknowledges that his work is emotionally heavy, he finds fulfillment in the fact that, since no two people suffer in exactly the same way, his work is always different, challenging and rewarding. Whether treating symptoms of incurable illness or symptoms of systemic inequities, Daniel uses his humanities education to think outside the box about ways to reduce suffering.

Although suffering hasn’t always been a major focus of the biomedical approach to medicine, much has been expressed about it through the arts and humanities. Daniel serves as director of the TCH Medical Humanities Program, which provides both educational and professional development activities for anyone at TCH who desires to incorporate or enhance the practice of humanism in medicine.

As the co-chair of TCH’s Sustainability Committee, Daniel serves to facilitate education and action to combat the negative health consequences of climate change. The health care industry contributes a significant amount to the United States’ annual greenhouse gas emissions, about as much as the agriculture industry. Taking the best possible care of children means limiting the damage to the planet they will inherit.

Fun Facts:

Name someone (past or present) with whom you’d like to have dinner.

My dad died of lung cancer in 2019. I’d love to have dinner with him and tell him all about his young granddaughters.

Name a Marquette faculty or staff member who had an impact on you, and how.

Dr. Armando González-Pérez taught Spanish for the Health Professions. I’m grateful that he pushed me to develop competence and confidence speaking Spanish. I’ve practiced in Miami, Honduras and now in Houston, where I’m a certified bilingual physician. The skill to engage in challenging conversations with Spanish-speaking families in their primary language rather than mine opens doors of connection and appreciation for which I will always be grateful.