Cami Polfuss, Child Life Specialist of the Year

Duke Children’s Child Life specialist Cami Polfuss, MS, CCLS, was recognized with the 2024 Child Life Specialist of the Year Award. Polfuss received this honor at Children’s Hospitals Week in April, the annual Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals conference in Orlando.

Polfuss has been a Child Life specialist for 13 years, spending nine years at Boston Children’s Hospital’s emergency department before she came to Duke Children’s to bring Child Life to the pediatric emergency department. 

The award includes a $20,000 prize from CMN Hospitals partner Love’s Travel Stops; the funds will support the Child and Adolescent Life program at Duke Children’s.

Polfuss has fostered unique partnerships to serve her patients, such as working with Duke engineering students to create devices that project movies onto the ceiling, giving children who need to be placed in stiff neck braces a welcome distraction. She works with Pet Therapy and Duke Hospital School to better serve children with behavioral health concerns. And Polfuss brought prom to a patient who missed this milestone, transforming her hospital room into a teenage dream with decorations and music.

Polfuss’s colleagues describe her as invaluable to the emergency department. They credit her for their ability to provide more compassionate care for children and for finding creative solutions for difficult patient situations. Testimony from parents whose children were helped by Polfuss highlights her sensitivity, empathy, and joy.

“This award is such an honor,” said Polfuss. “But more importantly, it will provide funding to help kids be kids despite their illness or injury.”

Polfuss’s family and Duke Children’s staff and leadership, including Matthew Rougeux, vice president for Children’s Services at Duke University Hospital and Renee Hunte, Manager of Child and Adolescent Life Programs, were present to share the celebration.