ACGME Honors Graduate Medical Education Community with Annual Awards

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) announced 26 award recipients for 2021, recognizing remarkable achievements from a diverse group of graduate medical education (GME) professionals. The recipients will be featured in an Awards Hall at the 2021 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, being held virtually February 24-26, 2021.

“These talented honorees represent the best of GME, and the ACGME is pleased to celebrate their contributions to the field. Their commitment to health care and education will have a lasting impact into the future, and it is especially rewarding to recognize their success during these challenging times,” said Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP, president and chief executive officer, ACGME.

The John C. Gienapp Distinguished Service Award was established in 1999 in recognition of John C. Gienapp, PhD who served as Executive Director of the ACGME for 19 years. The award honors individuals who have dedicated themselves to GME and have made outstanding contributions to the enhancement of residency education and ACGME accreditation activities.

This year’s award was presented to:

Henry J. Schultz, MD, MACP
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

Dr. Schultz’s extensive career has been marked by major contributions to graduate medical education (GME) and leadership roles at both a local (Mayo Clinic) and national level. He served as President of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine, Founding President of the Organization of Program Director Associations, Chair of the ACGME Review Committee for Internal Medicine, Chair of the National Residency Matching Program, Master of the American College of Physicians, and various roles on the ACGME Board of Directors, including on the Executive Committee and serving as Treasurer for five years. In each of these important organizations that shape the education of the next generation of physicians, Dr. Schultz distinguished himself as a leader among leaders.

Dr. Schultz’s career at Mayo Clinic demonstrates his leadership in both internal medicine education as program director for two decades, and his ongoing leadership at an institutional level in assuring excellence in GME across Mayo. He is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, evidence of his servant leadership style “on the ground” with residents. As Review Committee Chair, he wrote program requirements, and gained their approval by the ACGME Board, that made the Education Innovations Project for internal medicine possible. Later, he chose to serve the ACGME mentoring younger Board members and serving on committees, including Requirements, Finance, and Policies and Procedures.

The Diversity and Inclusion Award honors ACGME-accredited Sponsoring Institutions and programs, as well as specialty organizations working to diversify the underrepresented physician workforce and create inclusive workplaces that foster humane, civil, and equitable environments. The recipients of this year's Diversity and Inclusion Award are:

• Emory University School of Medicine, Emergency Medicine Residency 
• Morehouse School of Medicine 

The Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award honors designated institutional officials who have demonstrated strong leadership and astute resource management, and who have encouraged innovation and improvement in residency and fellowship programs and their Sponsoring Institutions. The recipients of this year’s Courage to Lead Award are:

• Deborah M. DeMarco, MD, FACP; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, Massachusetts; Rheumatology
• Meghan Walsh, MD, MPH; Hennepin Health System; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Internal Medicine

 The Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award recognizes program directors who have fostered innovation and improvement in their residency/fellowship programs and served as exemplary role models for residents and fellows. The recipients of this year’s Courage to Teach Award are:

• David K. Barnes, MD, FACEP; UC Davis Health; Sacramento, California; Emergency Medicine
• Wilma F. Bergfeld, MD; Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland, Ohio; Dermatopathology
• Steven R. Brown, MD, FAAFP; University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix Family Medicine Residency; Phoenix, Arizona; Family Medicine
• Julie B. McCausland, MD, MS, FACEP; UPMC Medical Education; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Transitional Year
• John F. McConville, MD; The University of Chicago; Chicago, Illinois; Internal Medicine
• Ann C. Schwartz, MD; Emory University School of Medicine; Atlanta, Georgia; Psychiatry
• Daniel I. Steinberg, MD, SFHM, FACP; Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York, New York; Internal Medicine
• Joanne Valeriano-Marcet, MD; University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine; Tampa, Florida; Rheumatology
• David A. Wininger, MD, FACP; The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Columbus; Ohio; Internal Medicine
• Stacey Quintero Wolfe, MD, FAANS; Wake Forest Baptist Health; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Neurological Surgery

The David C. Leach Award recognizes residents and fellows who have fostered innovation and improvement in their programs, advanced humanism in medicine, and increased efficiency and emphasis on educational outcomes. The recipients of this year’s David C. Leach Award are:

• Heather K. Buxton, MSEd, MD; Oregon Health & Science University; Portland, Oregon; Psychiatry
• Thomas R. Greenwood, DO; Central Washington Family Medicine Residency; Yakima, Washington; Family Medicine (Team Members: Shpetim Gina; Joshua Johnson, DO)
• Guenola Hunt, MD, LT MC USN; National Capital Consortium; Bethesda, Maryland; Internal Medicine (Team Members: Melanie Wiseman, MD; Jeffery Gray, MD; Paul Happel, MD; Kimberly Fabyan, MD; Brian Neubauer, MD; Erika Walker, MD; Adam Barelski, MD; Andrew Wieher, RN-BSN; Alainna Crotty, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, NE-BC)
• Amanda Lezanski-Gujda, DO; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; Bethesda, Maryland; Dermatology
• Matthew Robert Martin, MD; Saint Joseph Hospital Family Medicine Residency; Denver, Colorado; Family Medicine
• Bryce Edward Montané, MD; Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland, Ohio; Internal Medicine (Team Members: Omar Gutierrez, MD; David Savage, MD, PhD; Joseph Sleiman, MD)

The GME Institutional Coordinator Award recognizes an institutional coordinator who demonstrates in-depth knowledge of graduate medical education and the process for internal review. This person skillfully manages the multiple roles of administrator, counselor, enforcer, coordinator, organizer, and scheduler. The recipient of this year’s GME Institutional Coordinator Award is:

Lowell Virginia (Jennie) Craft, MPPM, C-TAGME
University of Alabama Hospital – Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

The Debra L. Dooley GME Program Coordinator Excellence Award is given to program coordinators in recognition of their in-depth understanding of the accreditation process, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and projects to improve residency programs. The recipients of this year’s Debra L. Dooley GME Program Coordinator Excellence Award are:

• Sharon M. Ashley; Emory University School of Medicine; Atlanta, Georgia; Emergency Medicine
• Adam Finney; University of Colorado School of Medicine; Aurora, Colorado; Child Neurology
• Dawn M. Fountain; University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita; Wichita, Kansas; Surgery
• Jodi Leonard, C-TAGME; Oregon Health & Science University; Portland, Oregon; Pediatrics
• Debra K. Stevens; The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University/Vidant Medical Center; Greenville, North Carolina; Internal Medicine
• Jennifer L. Wilson, BA, C-TAGME; University of Vermont Medical Center; Burlington, Vermont; Family Medicine

Learn more about ACGME Awards. Joint awards are selected separately and will be announced in early 2021.