Harvard Medical School annually bestows teaching awards on its most outstanding teachers, who, through their excellence in teaching, will impact and influence the professional lives of students long after graduation. The awards presented at the Daniel D. Federman Medical Education Award Celebration are HMS’s most visible recognition of the teaching accomplishments of a highly select group of the School’s leading medical educators and reflect, in a small but tangible way, how much teachers are valued by their students and by HMS. The HMS community is invited to attend this special event each year.
For more information, email pme@hms.harvard.edu.
Award Recipients
2024 Harvard Medical School Award Recipients
Donald O’Hara, PhD Faculty Prizes for Excellence in Preclerkship Teaching
The Faculty Prizes for Excellence in Preclerkship Teaching are named in memory of Donald O’Hara, Ph.D., who was a beloved teacher of Harvard medical students. Dr. O’Hara also served as one of the leaders of the New Pathway Chemistry and Biology of the Cell course and as co-director of the HST course, Human Biochemistry and Metabolic Diseases. Dr. O’Hara was also a recipient of the Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching for his teaching of first-year medical students.
Henrike Besche, PhD
Director of Education, Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology, Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Carolyn Come, MD
Lecturer on Medicine, Part-time Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Lahey Hospital & Medical Center
Charles McCabe, MD Faculty Prizes for Excellence in Clinical Teaching
The Faculty Prizes for Excellence in Clinical Teaching are named in memory of Charles McCabe, M.D., who was a beloved teacher of Harvard medical students and who also served as the director of the Core Clerkship in Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital for more than two decades. Dr. McCabe was also a recipient of the Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching on multiple occasions for his teaching of third-year medical students.
Navin Kumar, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Tara Singh, MD
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Cambridge Health Alliance
Most Outstanding Pathways Preclerkship Course Director
Barbara Cockrill, MD
George E. Thibault Academy Associate Professor of Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Keri Shafer, MD
Associate Professor
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Most Outstanding HMS HST Preclerkship Course Director
Daniel A. Solomon, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Most Outstanding Core Clerkship Site Directors
Alexandra E. Hovaguimian, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Natasha R. Johnson, MD
Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Yamini Saravanan, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Cambridge Health Alliance
Leigh Simmons, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Rising Star in Medical Education Award
Allison Kimball, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Outstanding Innovation in Medical Education Award
Jean Klig, MD
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Massachusetts General Hospital
Longitudinal Medical Education Award
Deborah Bartz, MD
Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Outstanding Career Achievement in Medical Education Award
Cynthia McDermott, PhD
Anatomist
Harvard Medical School
Katharine Treadway, MD
Gerald S. Foster Academy Associate Professor of Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Richard Schwartzstein, MD
Ellen and Melvin Gordon Distinguished Professor of Medical Education
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Richard A. Gillis Award for Excellence in Medical Education
The Richard A. Gillis Award for Excellence in Medical Education was established in 2012 in memory of Rick Gillis (1953-2011), Executive Director of Curriculum Programs, whose 27 years of contributions to the MD program at Harvard Medical School exemplify the standards of excellence and the work ethic he inspired in those who were privileged to know him and to work with him. The award is given to a member or members of the HMS staff for their outstanding contributions to the educational mission of the School. This award serves as a reminder of Rick’s legacy and the critical role of staff in facilitating, in the words of his hero, President John F. Kennedy, “the infinite potential of the human mind that can be realized through education … [and that] can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our Nation.”
Jane M. Neill
Associate Dean for Medical Education Planning & Administration
2024 Harvard Affiliated Hospital Award Recipients
Leo A. Blacklow Teaching Award
Mount Auburn Hospital
The Leo A. Blacklow Award is presented annually to an outstanding teacher who holds joint appointments at Harvard Medical School and Mount Auburn Hospital. The award honors Dr. Leo A. Blacklow, HMS 1930, who practiced Family Medicine in Belmont and at Mount Auburn Hospital. For over 60 years, he helped train residents and medical students while caring for five generations of families in Belmont and surrounding communities. Dr. Blacklow was a passionate advocate for education and an enduring role model for comprehensive and compassionate care for all.
Megan A. Koster MD, PharmD
Instructor in Medicine
Stephen B. Calderwood, MD Medical Student Teaching Award
Massachusetts General Hospital
The MGH Stephen B. Calderwood MD Medical Student Teaching Award was established in 2021 and is awarded to the Harvard faculty member who has demonstrated the highest overall excellence in teaching of Harvard Medical School student at MGH. This award is voted by medical students who complete the Principal Clinical Experience (PCE) at MGH and is the highest honor granted for undergraduate medical education at MGH. It replaces the former Bulfinch Award for Undergraduate Medical Education at MGH that was established in 2012.
Trevin Lau, MD
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
The Sandra & Arnold Gold Award for Humanistic Teaching
Cambridge Health Alliance
The Sandra and Arnold Gold Award for Humanistic Teaching at Cambridge Health Alliance is named in honor of Drs. Sandra and Arnold Gold and their remarkable decades-long contributions to humanistic medical education nationally and locally. The award will be presented annually to an inspirational HMS faculty educator at Cambridge Health Alliance who models compassion, integrity, respect and service in teaching Harvard Medical School students, residents, fellows or peers.
Alison Rapoport, MD
Instructor in Medicine
Bernard Lown Award for Excellence in Teaching
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
The Bernard Lown Award for Excellence in Teaching at Brigham and Women's Hospital was established in 2010 to celebrate physicians who are outstanding clinical teachers and to recognize the very significant role that education plays in carrying out the BWH mission and the institution’s deep commitment to the next generation of clinicians. The award honors Dr. Bernard Lown, senior physician at BWH, Professor of Cardiology Emeritus at the Harvard School of Public Health, and founder of the Lown Cardiovascular Center and Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation. A gifted clinician, renowned bedside teacher, and research pioneer, Dr. Lown was named Master Teacher of the American College of Cardiology on five occasions. He co-founded International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) with Dr. Evgeni Chazov, of the former Soviet Union; in 1985, they were co-recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of IPPNW.
Reza Askari, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Vinod Nambudiri, MD, MBA, MPH, EdM
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Robert P. Masland, Jr. Teaching Award
Boston Children’s Hospital
Dr. Robert P. Masland, Jr. was the Chief of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Children’s from 1967-1993 and was a leader in establishing the field of Adolescent Medicine, as well as teaching communication and professionalism. In addition, he trained generations of medical students, residents, and faculty members at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). He was a supporter of flexible careers and work-life balance long before these issues were openly discussed. As a medical educator, Dr. Masland served as Co-Director of the Combined Harvard Medicine/Pediatrics Training program and as Associate Master for the Cannon Society at HMS. One of his favorite activities was mentoring HMS students and trying to convince them to pursue a career in pediatrics. As the Chair of the Intern Selection Committee at Boston Children’s Hospital from 1983-2002, he sought to rank as many HMS students as possible. Dr. Masland died in 2010, and this award was established in his honor to recognize a Children’s Hospital faculty member who shares Dr. Masland’s passion for teaching medical students.
Catherine C. Chen, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
S. Robert Stone Award for Excellence in Teaching
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
The S. Robert Stone Award for Excellence in Teaching has been awarded annually since 1981 to a member of the Harvard Medical School Faculty at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for outstanding achievement in the teaching of medical students and house staff. The award is given in honor of the late Honorary Trustee and past Board Chairman of the former Beth Israel Hospital by his children.
K. Meredith Atkins, MD
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
L. James Wiczai Award for Leadership, Excellence, and Innovation in Medical Education
The Wiczai Award was established in 2000 by Karen C. Kirby in memory of her husband, L. James Wiczai, to honor a staff member who fosters innovation and excellence in medical education and promotes collaboration between Harvard Medical School and the Harvard-affiliated hospitals.
Ellen Conner
Medical Education Coordinator
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center