CHICAGO, IL, Oct. 22, 2024 (Globe Newswire) — The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recognizes the 2025 ACGME Award winners who demonstrate the extraordinary contributions, diversity, and strengths of graduate medical education. I’m proud to announce this. Education (GME) Community. These award winners will be recognized at the 2025 ACGME Annual Education Conference, February 20-22, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I am honored to congratulate the ACGME Award recipients for their outstanding achievements in the advancement of graduate medical education at all levels. have set an example for others to work together to improve public health,” said ACGME President and CEO Thomas J. Nazca, MD, MACP.
John C. Guinup Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognizing individuals who have dedicated their careers to GME and have made outstanding contributions to the enhancement of residency and fellowship education and ACGME accreditation activities, the John C. Gienup Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Lawrence M. Opus, MD, of the USC/LA General Medical Center. . Dr. Opas served as the founding program director of the MEDS PEDS program for 50 years at USC/LA General Medical Center, and both the internal medicine-pediatrics program and the pediatrics program for 25 years. Since 2001, Dr. Opus has served as a Designated Institutional Officer (DIO) for USC/LA General Hospital Center. Throughout his career, Dr. Opas has made significant contributions to the ACGME, including serving on the Institutional Review Board for seven years, co-chairing the Sponsoring Institutions 2025 Task Force, and contributing to the Institutional Accreditation Evolution Plan. Dr. Opus received the ACGME Parker J. Palmer Courage Award in 2012.
Barbara Ross-Lee, DO Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
This award recognizes ACGME-accredited sponsoring institutions and programs that diversify the underrepresented physician workforce and create inclusive workplaces that promote humane, civil, and equitable environments. The purpose is to The 2025 award winners are:
Nth Dimensions (Nonprofit Organization)American College of Surgeons (Nonprofit Organization)Stanford Pediatrics Residency Program (Program)WashU School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, Internal Medicine Residency Program (Program)
David C. Leach Award
This award recognizes residents and fellows who promote program innovation and improvement, a high degree of humanism in medicine, and a focus on increased efficiency and educational outcomes. The 2025 award winners are:
Lauren G. Boyarsky, DO, MS. University of Kentucky School of Medicine; Lexington, Kentucky. Neurology Michael Guzmán Carlson, MD, PhD. Baylor College of Medicine. Houston, Texas. Neurodevelopmental Disorders Alexandra Schoenberger, M.D., completed her master’s degree. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Cincinnati, Ohio. Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Caitlin R. Snapp, MD, MD; University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati, Ohio. Internal medicine
Debra L. Dooley GME Program Coordinator Excellence Award
This award is presented to program coordinators in recognition of their deep understanding of the accreditation process, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and projects that improve training and fellowship programs. The 2025 award winners are:
Maggie Baker, C-TAGME. University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati, Ohio. Neurology Dolores L. Garcia, AA; University of New Mexico; Albuquerque, New Mexico. Family Medicine Janice M. Gleisner, BA, MBA, C-TAGME; Carilion Clinic – Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; Roanoke, VA; Internal Medicine Alyssa Schappe; University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics. Madison, Wisconsin. Plastic Surgery Ashley T. Taylor, BHA, C-TAGME; Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. St. Petersburg, Florida. Hospice/palliative care, pediatric hospital care
GME Institutional Coordinator Excellence Award
This award recognizes an agency coordinator who demonstrates in-depth knowledge of GME and internal review processes and skillfully manages multiple roles: administrator, counselor, executive, coordinator, organizer, and scheduler. The 2025 award winners are:
Marcy L. Becker, MD. MetroHealth System/Case Western Reserve University. Cleveland, Ohio Bethany J. Figg, DEdT, MBA, MLIS, C-TAGME. Central Michigan University School of Medicine/CMU Medical Education Partner. Saginaw, Michigan Joanne M. Meyer, BS, Allegheny Health Network Medical Education Consortium; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Lead” Award
This award recognizes DIOs who have demonstrated strong leadership and insightful resource management, encouraging innovation and improvement in their programs and their sponsoring institutions. The 2025 award winners are:
Alice Reeves Goepfert, MD. University of Alabama Hospital; Birmingham, Alabama A. Michelle Thompson, MD; Geisinger. Danville, Pennsylvania
Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” Award
This award recognizes program directors who foster innovation and improvement in their programs and serve as exemplary role models for residents and fellows. The 2025 award winners are:
John A. Andrilli, MD, FACP. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Morningside/West. New York, New York. Internal Medicine J. Christian Barrett, MD. Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. Richmond, Virginia. Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology Melissa E. Brunsvold, MD, FACS, FCCM; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis, MN; Surgery Bardale S. CO, DO, MPH; Hersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Birmingham, Alabama. Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Jonathan Stuart Crane, DO, FAAD, FAOCD; Campbell University/Sampson Regional Medical Center; Wilmington, NC. Dermatology Marcy Fineman, MD, MEHP, FACS; Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. Baltimore, Maryland. Surgery Jeffrey B. Friedrich, MD, MC, FACS; University of Washington; Seattle, WA. Plastic Surgeon Charles Kwon, MD; Cleveland Clinic Pediatrics; Cleveland, Ohio. Pediatrics Kellee Oller, MD, FACP; USF Morsani School of Medicine; Tampa, Florida. Department of Internal Medicine Tajnous Yazdani, Maryland; Harbor-UCLA Medical Center; Torrance, California; Obstetrics and gynecology
The ACGME Awards recognize the best in GME. In the months leading up to the annual education conference, the ACGME Blog will feature interviews and detailed information about this year’s top honorees.
The nomination period for the 2026 ACGME Awards opens in November 2024. For more information about the ACGME Awards program, please visit the ACGME website.
