ACGME seeks nominations for Courage to Teach and Courage to Lead Awards
Annual awards honor notable program directors and designated institutional officials

CHICAGO, April 2, 2009 – The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is accepting nominations for the 2010 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach and Courage to Lead Awards. The Courage to Teach Award is given to outstanding program directors and the Courage to Lead Award is presented to distinguished designated institutional officials of institutions that sponsor residency programs.

The Courage to Teach Award – named after Parker J. Palmer, PhD, a noted teacher and sociologist who wrote the Courage to Teach and other books on teaching and vocation – is given annually to 10 program directors who have developed innovative teaching practices and demonstrated a commitment to teaching. 

The Courage to Lead Award, also named after Dr. Palmer, is presented yearly to three designated institutional officials who have created an optimal environment for resident education. One award is given to a designated institutional official in each of the three categories of sponsoring institutions: small hospital (25 or fewer residency programs), large hospital (25 to 50 residency programs), and tertiary academic medical center (more than 50 residency programs).

The ACGME Awards Committee will choose the 2010 award recipients in September. Awardees will be invited to attend an awards luncheon held during the 2010 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, which will take place March 4-7 in Nashville, Tenn. Each winner will receive $1,000 and a plaque, and will also be invited to attend a retreat in May.

Nominations are due July 1 for both the Courage to Teach and Courage to Lead awards. Each nomination must include a completed application form, three letters of recommendation and the nominee’s curriculum vitae. Nomination forms and detailed instructions are posted on the ACGME website, www.acgme.org. Questions may be addressed to Emily Vasiliou, resident services associate, at evasiliou@acgme.org.

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The ACGME is a private, non-profit council that accredits approximately 8,500 residency programs in 127 specialties and subspecialties educating 108,000 residents. Its mission is to improve health care by assessing and advancing the quality of resident physicians’ education through accreditation.