The Tim Kuhnert Legacy Award

In essence, the Tim Kuhnert Legacy Award will honor those, whose work, vision, and impact will leave a lasting legacy—whether through service, innovation, leadership, or mentorship.

It is a way to celebrate the enduring influence that positive change-makers have on the life of their patients, their families, and the world as a whole.

Tim himself experienced this first-hand.

He was classified as being mentally disabled based on little to no formal assessment but the fact that he was non-verbal and in a wheelchair. To convince scientists of his mental abilities, however, he was subjected to weeks-long testing procedures.

It was not until after his passing that his family received the letter certifying that he was not mentally disabled, but orthopaedically impaired, confirming what they had known all along: that it is often people like us—and not like Tim—who lack comprehension.

This award is meant to celebrate those willing to reshape medicine for the benefit of others, for the benefit of people like Tim. It is also meant to serve as a reminder that time is a luxury we cannot afford to waste, that the time to combine innovation and compassion is now.

The essence of the award will embody the following principles:

Legacy of Impact: Celebrating those who leave a meaningful, enduring impact on their community, profession, or industry. Recipients are chosen based on their efforts to improve or transform in a way that will continue to resonate for years to come.

Leadership & Vision: Recognizing pioneering leaders who –in addition to their ability to create significant change—guide and inspire others to achieve common goals with integrity, dedication and passion.

Commitment to Excellence: Honoring individuals who consistently strive for for the highest levels of quality and distinction in their work, continuously pushing boundaries and setting high standards for themselves and others.

Community & Collaboration: Acknowledging those who foster cooperation and inclusivity, working alongside others to build stronger, more connected and synergistic communities.

Inspiration for Future Generations: The award celebrates those whose work serves as a beacon for future leaders, motivating the next generation to carry the torch and continue to innovate and inspire.

The Tim Kuhnert Legacy Award will be bestowed as an honor that recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to progress, compassion, innovation, and lasting contributions in their respective fields.

The award is named in honor of Tim Kuhnert.

Despite—or perhaps explicitly because of—his physical limitations, he inspired the founding of the Curaçao Dolphin Therapy and Research Center (CDTC), the charity organizations dolphin aid and dolphin aid America, as well as Timmy & Friends, with his talent of naturually and seemingly effortlessly breaking every glass ceiling he was presented with.

His legacy lives on every single day in those patients who, with the help of the above-mentioned organizations and their families, find the courage, strength and hope to do the same.

We still live in a world where medicine and society have yet to adequately acknowledge, let alone promote, experts who dare to go beyond the evidence-based standard in the scientific community, who wish to do more for people affected by disabilities and illnesses by combining science and humanity.