October 6, 2026
Pattee Award Winner is Grateful for her PALTC Journey
By Ellen Mullally
The James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education recognizes significant contributions to enhance PALTmed’s educational structure and framework, to advance education specific to post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) practice, and to promote PALTmed leadership via educational endeavors within the PALTC continuum. It was named after the father of the PALTmed Certification Program and the Core Curriculum program.
The recipient of this prestigious award for 2026 was Sing Palat, MD, FPALTC. She is a medical director with Senior Community Care for Optum Health and an attending physician at LTC Rehab Consultants. She has been involved with several PALTmed committees and subcommittees over the years and is the current chair of the Government Affairs Committee. She is also active in her state chapter, PALTmed – Colorado, and is the organization’s immediate past president.
In addition, the PALTmed Choosing Wisely 2025 recommendations were created under Dr. Palat’s leadership. She supports clinical education for practitioners in Colorado and nationally and is an adjoint associate professor for the University of Colorado Division of Geriatric Medicine.
Dr. Palat was nominated for this award by several current and former members of the PALTmed Board of Directors. One letter noted that, “Dr. Palat's leadership comes from a profound respect for the patients we serve and her ability to inspire and support her PALTC colleagues. She has demonstrated the unique combination of exceptional medical expertise with thoughtful humanitarianism and defines the standard of PALTC educators. Dr. Palat is a role model and a beacon for our PALTMed community.”
The second letter said, “Whether leading a state conference, publishing in JAMDA, or guiding a webinar for frontline clinicians, Dr. Palat consistently ensures that education is practical, evidence-based, and centered on improving the care of patients in PALTC settings. Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Palat embodies the values of collegiality and mentorship. She has created opportunities for students, trainees, and colleagues to present, participate, and grow within the field. Her work has extended the reach of PALTmed’s mission in Colorado and beyond, leaving a lasting impact on learners and patients alike.”
When asked about the award, Dr. Palat notes, “It is a tremendous honor to receive it. I'm so grateful for the nomination and the recognition, because this award represents what my colleagues and I do all the time: education. This is essential to post-acute and long-term care medicine.”
To show how essential it is, Dr. Palat shares this story: “A nurse that I worked with many years ago told me, ‘Dr. Palat, when I talk to patients who have dementia, I always try to make sure my smile reaches my eyes, and that's because you taught me to do that.’ We are teaching each other all the time, with our smiles, with our communication, with how we treat each other.”
Dr. Palat points out that everyone in the PALTC community is offering and contributing to this education: practitioners, nurses, nursing assistants, the rehab team, the administration, and, of course, the patients and families.
“I've always been told that education is one of the pillars of medicine, and I agree with that. In addition to our clinical care, education, research, and advocacy are among the foundations,” Dr. Palat says. “This award is very meaningful to me because it embodies so much of what we do in this field of medicine.”
Another thing that Dr. Palat finds meaningful is her membership in PALTmed. “I have been a member of PALTmed in its various forms for the last 20 years or so,” she says. “I presented a poster at my first AMDA meeting. I was a fellow in geriatric medicine. I got to take part in the Futures Program. This has been a remarkable journey. I have met so many wonderful professionals who have helped me personally and professionally. I couldn't be more grateful.”
She also recognizes the importance of working at the state level. “Nothing is uniform across the whole country. I'm always fascinated to learn how things can be seen differently in each region, such as the surrogacy laws, the culture of communication, and the relationships between physicians and advanced practice practitioners,” she explains. “That’s why it's so vital to me to have my local connections and to make a direct difference in the community where I live.”
The Foundation depends on the generosity of its donors to support the four Excellence Awards (the Pattee Award, Medical Director of the Year, Clinician of the Year, and the William Dodd Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service), and other important programs. Learn more about donating.
Ellen Mullally is PALTmed’s publications manager and the managing editor of Caring for the Ages.