College of Medicine Awards

UAMS College of Medicine Educational Awards
These awards (Master Teacher, Educational Innovation Award, and the Educational Research Award) are selected in early spring. Dr. Richard Wheeler, Executive Associate Dean announces these nomination opportunities by email announcement.  This is the 2011 Announcement about the Master Teacher, the Educational Innovation, the Educational Research Awards and the College of Medicine Faculty Distinguished Service Award. 

The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award given by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation is also selected in the early spring. All Faculty members are urged to submit nominations.  A Selection Committee made up of previous winners of the award select the recipient. The award is a certificate and a check for $1,000.  There are no specific criteria for the award, but the faculty members are urged to make the nomination on how closely the nominee comes to the ideals expressed by the Gold Foundation in terms of compassion and empathy.  

Residency Educator Award
The Residency Educator Awards will be given annually by the College to two residency/fellowship program directors who have developed an educational program of high quality.  In general, the program directors must demonstrate commitment to innovations in curriculum and educational experiences, achieve a successful accreditation status and cycle, and have excellent results of internal program reviews and Annual GME Survey ratings. 

The Dean's Residency Award
Participating departments ask residents to choose the best faculty teacher in the spring to present them with this award at a ceremony of their choosing. Each department is responsible for how and when the award is selected. 

Golden Apple Awards - There are four awarded annually - one to a faculty member in each year of the curriculum.  Students are asked to vote on the individual faculty member who has been the "best teacher" for that entire year.  The voting takes place near the end of each academic year.  The recipients are named at the Senior Honors Convocation and each receives a check for $1,000.  At the same time the seniors are voting on the senior Golden Apple Award, they also vote on two other faculty honors:  the faculty member to be the speaker at the Senior Honors Convocation, and the two faculty  members who are elected to "hood" them at the same event.  A faculty member can win both the Golden Apple and one of the other senior awards, but a single faculty member can’t be elected to both hooder and speaker.

Red Sash Teaching Awards are given to faculty members who don't have sufficient votes to win any of the major teaching awards noted above, but who have been nominated by the senior class as excellent teachers.  Individuals who receive the most Red Sash votes are noted as Gold Sash winners. 

The College of Medicine Faculty Distinguished Service Award
This is a new award that will be given annually to an active faculty member who has displayed outstanding, broad-based and long-term service to the College of Medicine.  Examples of such service might be, but are not limited to, combinations of teaching excellence, excellence in mentoring, research and scholarly activity, clinical service, academic administration in the support of COM faculty and staff, development of new programs, policy development, dissemination of health information to other professionals and the public, etc.  Nominations will be solicited from the faculty of the College of Medicine and the final selection will be made by vote of the Council of Department Chairs.  These nominations should also be sent to Dr. Richard Wheeler's  attention (Slot 603).

The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award
Presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation
 The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, through a generous donation from the Leonard Tow Family, is making it possible again this year for us to recognize humanism and compassion in the delivery of medical care.  One award will go to a faculty member and one award will go to a graduating student.  Each award will consist of a check for $1000 and a plaque.  The awardees are to be nominated by their peers using criteria noted below.  The student award will be given during Honors Convocation.  The faculty award will be given during a faculty meeting to be announced by the Dean.  The criteria imply a clinical faculty member, but the Foundation places no such restrictions. Dr. Lee Archer, Dr. Joe Bissett, Dr. John Schultz, Dr. Eleanor Lipsmeyer, Dr. Michael Schmitz, Dr. Laura Hutchins, Dr. Jerry Jones, Dr. Gary Wheeler, Dr. Robert Hopkins, Dr. Joseph Chacko, and Dr. Richard Nicholas were the first eleven winners, and Foundation policy will not allow them to repeat.

 Please give us the name of the nominee and DESCRIBE WHY YOU FEEL THIS PERSON IS DESERVING OF THIS AWARD. It is impossible for the selection Committee to make a meaningful decision based only on a name.  You can include a copy of their CV if you think it would be helpful to the Committee.  You are welcome to submit your nomination directly to me via e-mail, or you can print it out and send it to me (Richard Wheeler, M.D.) at slot 603.  If you send it on paper, be sure to include your name and telephone number so we can contact you for further information if necessary.