A smiling woman with curly dark hair and glasses stands against a light wood paneled wall. She is wearing a sage green blazer over a black top and black pants.

Dr. Diana Cutts Celebrated with 2026 Gold Headed Cane Award

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Emily Gray
2 minutes
This distinction honors a lifetime of dedicated excellence in advancing the health and well-being of children.

Since 1972, the Department of Pediatrics has presented the Gold Headed Cane to pediatricians in recognition of their exceptional contributions to pediatric care and education. Diana Becker Cutts, MD, was named its 46th recipient and celebrated during Pediatric Grand Rounds on March 11, 2026. 

For over thirty years, Dr. Diana Cutts has changed the way the medical world understands social health. A nationally recognized expert in how housing insecurity, hunger, and poverty impact our youngest children, she has been a force for children in Minnesota and across the country. Dr. Cutts has spent countless hours on the front lines of public health advocacy, testifying before both the Minnesota and United States legislatures to protect federal safety nets like WIC and SNAP. Whether she was speaking at hunger relief forums, partnering with Second Harvest Heartland to expand an on-site food shelf at HCMC, or rallying in the streets against budget cuts, her mission has always been loud and clear. 

Her own words spoken during a rally capture her passion: "I have cared for children born this year whose hearts will beat into the next century. Their futures are shaped right now by what we do, and what we fail to do, in their earliest days. We owe them something better than preventable harm. We owe them food, not excuses." 

Through her leadership at Hennepin Healthcare and her work with the University of Minnesota, she has shown what it truly means to compassionately practice pediatric medicine. Her legacy lives on in the hundreds of people she has mentored over the years—including nearly 40 pediatric continuity clinic residents as well as research assistants at Children’s HealthWatch and early career faculty members. She taught them to look past the symptoms of illness to study and tackle the root causes of childhood poverty. 

Dr. Diana Cutts is an exceptional physician, a relentless advocate, and a deeply respected mentor. She is admired by her peers, cherished by her trainees, and profoundly loved by the many families whose lives she has improved.