The Grenvik Family Award for Ethics is given each year to recognize a Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) member in good standing who has devoted significant efforts toward ethical problems in critical care. The award recognizes a person who promotes humanistic and ethical values in critical care.
The award was initiated by Christer Grenvik’s parents, Dr. Ake and Mrs. Inger Grenvik, and was established in 1989 by the Foundation for Critical Care. Christer Grenvik, MD, died at age 30 of a brain tumor while he was an anesthesiology resident. The Christer Grenvik Memorial Fund is funded by Dr. Ake and Mrs. Inger Grenvik.
During his last two years of life, Christer Grenvik became deeply religious and concerned with the critically and terminally ill patient’s autonomy when deciding on choice of treatment. He became particularly interested in the ethical problems of these situations and compassionate care of patients in the terminal stage. Therefore, the goals and objectives of the award are to memorialize Christer Grenvik’s great concern for these problems.