Meet the 2026 recipients of the Lynda A. Merriman Award for Compassionate Care

Compassion—an integral IU Health value— can change the course of a day, recovery or even a life. It appears in the moments that often go unseen, a warm meal delivered after a difficult call, a reassuring voice after discharge, a trusted hand helping someone navigate trauma, a colleague showing up when it matters most or a caregiver extending support beyond the walls of the hospital.

These acts may not make headlines, but they leave a lasting impact on the people who experience them.

Each year, the Lynda A. Merriman Award for Compassionate Care honors IU Health team members who embody that extraordinary commitment to others. Established through the generosity of IU Health Foundation donor Chuck Merriman in memory of his wife, Lynda, the award celebrates the type of compassionate care that brought comfort, dignity and hope during her seven-month cancer journey at IU Health Simon Cancer Center and IU Health University Hospital.

Known affectionately as “The Lynda,” the award recognizes team members nominated by their peers for going above and beyond in service to patients, families, colleagues and communities.

In 2026, IU Health Foundation is proud to recognize five remarkable individuals whose actions remind us that while medicine heals the body, compassion has the power to heal hearts, restore hope and make all the difference. In addition to public recognition and a framed certificate, recipients each receive a generous cash award, made possible by the philanthropic support of Mr. Merriman.

Mark Grell, Paramedic-ALS, serves with IU Health Lifeline in Hartford City. Grell was called to assist an elderly patient with diabetic issues, but after assessing her, he found she was medically stable. There was no acute emergency and no need for transport. What he did find, after talking with her for a while, was that she was struggling. Her car had broken down with no way to get it fixed; her family lived far away, and she had no way to get to the store. The patient wasn’t having a diabetic crisis. She was hungry. After completing the call and returning to service, Grell drove home and gathered food from his own kitchen. His girlfriend, who was in the middle of making dinner, prepared a plate so the patient could eat right away. Grell returned to her house with the warm meal and food items she could prepare later.

Tyler Delph, Clinical Nurse Navigator, works with the Trauma Service Line at IU Health Methodist Hospital, serving as a liaison between the hospital and its patients — a role his nominator, a former patient, credits with transforming their recovery. During the patient's 10-day stay at Methodist, Delph introduced himself, talked with them, and left a folder with his contact information and resources. That folder mattered. At discharge, the patient and their family faced a flood of unanswered questions and loose ends about care and recovery at home. Shortly after discharge, Delph called and answered the family's questions, connected them with resources, and helped the patient gain access to the patient portal. Question after question, he took on the challenge of bridging the gap between having everything readily available in the hospital and navigating recovery alone at home. “We were tired; we were scared; we were overwhelmed,” his nominator wrote, describing Delph as the family’s “GAP insurance”, the person who made the transition from hospital to home a cohesive experience.

Kendra Johnson, MSW, LCSW, is a social worker with the Violence Prevention program in the Trauma Service Line at IU Health Methodist Hospital. Her work supporting survivors of gun violence requires a rare combination of clinical expertise and genuine human connection. A gunshot wound often leaves physical, emotional, and psychological scars that extend well beyond a hospital stay. Recovery can take months or years and involves navigating trauma, fear, grief, and significant life disruption. Johnson understands that healing is not simply about treating an injury; it is about helping people regain hope, stability, and a sense of control over their futures. What sets her apart, her nominator wrote, is her ability to build trust during the most difficult moments of patients’ lives. Many of the individuals she serves are hesitant to engage with counseling or mental health services, yet patients open up to Johnson and often seek her out because of her authenticity, patience, and respect for each person's experience. Her ability to connect with patients, particularly young African American men recovering from violent injury, reflects both her clinical skill and her deep cultural humility.

Benjamin Jones, Unit Support Technician, works in the Emergency Department at IU Health Bedford Hospital, where his nominator describes him as an asset not only to the ED but to the entire Lawrence County community. There are multiple examples of compassionate care undertaken by Jones. During a winter snowstorm, Jones walked from a hotel to the hospital to make sure he was there for his patients during a county emergency.

On another occasion, Jones noticed that two rooms in his unit were missing the identification signs above their doors. On his own time, he 3D printed signs and installed them, eliminating the potential for identification errors that could put patients at risk. When he arrived at work one morning and spotted an ICU colleague with a flat tire in the parking lot, he changed it for her at 5:30 am. His nominator says these moments aren’t exceptions; they’re what Jones does consistently, for his team and his community.

Missy Schmidt, Paramedic, works in the Emergency Department at IU Health Arnett Hospital, where her compassion extends well beyond the hospital walls. Schmidt is the driving force behind “Under the Bridge,” a community outreach initiative supporting individuals experiencing homelessness in Tippecanoe County. Recognizing a gap in support for unhoused neighbors, she transformed a grassroots effort into a sustainable, community-wide program, organizing multidisciplinary volunteer teams to visit local encampments and distribute self-care supplies, blankets, and other necessities — and, just as importantly, to treat every person with dignity and human connection. Under her leadership, the initiative has grown from 95 self-care packages delivered in December 2024 to 120 packages and blankets in 2025, with partnerships spanning local law enforcement, academic institutions, and service organizations. She has built a sustainable model of annual planning, volunteer engagement, and donation drives to keep the work going for years to come. Deeply respected by her peers, Schmidt serves as a role model for compassionate care, inspiring colleagues to think more broadly about how they serve patients and community alike.

Next May, consider nominating a colleague for the Lynda A. Merriman Award. Nomination details, including the link to nominate, will be shared in the Daily and Connect.