Christine Foster, Victoria Eberhard, Grant and Paula Bartucci and Meghan Price

Becky Ash, Ann Creekmore, Pamela Kent and Bobbinette Carey

The Kidney Foundation of Ohio welcomed more than 215 guests to its 30th Annual Gala at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown.
The event raised close to $145,000 to support the organization’s direct assistance programs.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Person of the Year award to Hernan Rincon-Choles, MD, for his outstanding leadership in the field of nephrology. Dr. Rincon-Choles joined the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute Department of Nephrology in 2013, pursuing his interest in critical care nephrology. He is assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. His interest in improving medical care for minority populations inspired him to run a renal clinic from 2014 to 2021 at Stephanie Tubbs Jones Family Health Center in

Hernan Benjamin Rincon, Rachel Pollack-Rincon, Hernan Rincon-Choles, MD, and Mathilde Rodriguez

East Cleveland. He is currently running a renal clinic for the Hispanic community at Lutheran Hospital. He helped run the annual Minority Men’s Health Fair at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation from 2014 to 2020.
The annual Legacy Award was presented posthumously to Marilyn Bartucci, a registered nurse, clinical nurse specialist, clinical transplant coordinator and a clinical nurse specialist in adult health. Throughout her career, she was an adjunct clinic associate in nursing at Kent State University and clinical instructor in medical surgical nursing at Case Western Reserve University. With the blessing of her three children, the Kidney Foundation will establish an annual nursing scholarship in memory of Marilyn Bartucci, to continue the legacy she left behind. STORY BY CYNTHIA SCHUSTER EAKIN/PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC EAKIN