Washington, D.C., October 24, 2002 - Four medical school faculty members who devote their time and energy to providing medical students with an outstanding educational experience have received national awards from the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society. The awards will be presented November 9, at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

The Robert J. Glaser AOA Award recognizes medical school faculty members who have distinguished themselves as outstanding medical student educators. The award is named for long-time AOA executive secretary Robert J. Glaser, M.D.

Award recipients are:

Lewis R. First, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics
University of Vermont College of Medicine

Dr. Lewis First is known for his innovative work in faculty development, pediatric clinical care, and teaching. In his travels throughout Vermont and upstate New York, he has established a "without-walls" children's hospital to meet the needs of children and communities throughout the region. Under Dr. First's leadership, a number of innovations in pediatric clinical care have been introduced, including an office-based resuscitation education program. He is also credited with the development of an interdisciplinary generalist curriculum for first- and second-year medical students.

Dr. First has developed a national reputation for helping both medical students and experienced faculty improve their teaching skills. The author of sought-after teaching modules, manuals, and workshops, he has tried to instill in his students a love of lifelong learning by creating text and case materials that translate and apply basic science concepts into clinical reality.

After receiving his B.A., M.D., and M.S. degrees from Harvard University, Dr. First completed a residency at Boston Children's Hospital, as well as a fellowship in ambulatory pediatrics. At the University of Vermont, where he has taught since 1994, Dr. First received the Clinical Teacher of the Year Award six times. In 2001, Dr. First was awarded the Green Mountain Pediatric Award by the Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He continues to offer weekly medical advice to parents on radio and television segments entitled, "First with Kids."

Faith T. Fitzgerald, M.D.
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
University of California, Davis, School of Medicine

Dr. Faith Fitzgerald is known to her peers to be a "superb clinician-educator," and has dedicated her career to cultivating the next generation of physicians and scientists. A teacher and mentor, Dr. Fitzgerald has been educating medical students for over 15 years. She is a well-published author, a frequently solicited speaker, and a champion of morality and professionalism in medicine.

In 1996, Dr. Fitzgerald was elected as a master of the American College of Physicians. She has received numerous awards, including the California Medical Association Golden Apple Award in 1992, the American College of Physicians Distinguished Teacher Award in 1996, and the American Medical Women's Association Gender Equity Award in 1997. Most recently, Dr. Fitzgerald was recognized by the University of California, Davis, as Senior Class Outstanding Clinical Teacher and Distinguished Faculty Teacher in the Department of Medicine.

Dr. Fitzgerald earned her undergraduate degree at University of California, Santa Barbara, and her medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco, where she also completed her internal medicine residency. Dr. Fitzgerald has been teaching at the UC Davis campus since 1980.

Aviad Haramati, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Dr. Aviad Haramati has been teacher and course director of the Human Physiology course at Georgetown for over 10 years. Through the course he introduced new formats for faculty-student interaction, such as small group tutorials and problem solving workshops, which promoted effective student learning. The course has become one of the most popular, and students' mastery of the material has markedly improved. In recognition of his innovation as a professor of basic science, Dr. Haramati has received every teaching honor that Georgetown University awards.

In 1992, Dr. Haramati was selected to participate in the New Pathways in Education Course at Harvard Medical School. Since attending, he has served on every education committee at Georgetown, and was the driving force behind the 1993 effort to change to a block course schedule for first year students. In addition, Dr. Haramati spearheaded the effort to establish interdisciplinary courses, which eliminated redundancy in the curriculum and integrated teaching among several departments.

Dr. Haramati received his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He trained as a research fellow at the Mayo Clinic and Foundation until he was given a faculty position at Mayo Medical School as instructor of physiology and biophysics. Dr. Haramati joined the faculty of Georgetown University in 1985.

Ralph F. Jozefowicz, M.D.
Professor, Departments of Neurology and Medicine
Associate Chair for Education and Neurology
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Dr. Ralph Jozefowicz directed the reorganization of the entire neurology curriculum at University of Rochester into a seamless continuum. Under his direction since 1998, the Mind, Brain and Behavior course has become a model pre-clinical course in the university's new curriculum. The success of this course has received national attention; over the past two years Dr. Jozefowicz has been invited to several medical schools across the United States and Canada to review their pre-clinical neural science curricula.

In 1996, Dr. Jozefowicz was appointed director of the Neurology Residency Training Program, and has developed it into one of the most successful neurology residency programs in the country. He has reorganized the residency recruitment process, written a residency handbook, introduced yearly "mock board examinations" for all of the residents, and is leading the effort to incorporate core competencies into the residency curriculum.

After receiving his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Jozefowicz earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his residency and fellowship in the Neuromuscular Disease Unit at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. His many recognitions in teaching include, the American Neurological Association's Distinguished Teacher Award and the Fullbright Scholar Award for Lecturing in the Neural Sciences, Neuromuscular Diseases, and Clinical Neurology.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges represents the 125 accredited U.S. medical schools; the 16 accredited Canadian medical schools; some 400 major teaching hospitals, including Veterans Administration medical centers; more than 105,000 faculty in 98 academic and scientific societies; and the nation's 66,000 medical students and 97,000 residents. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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