Holly J. Humphrey, MD, MACP (bestowed posthumously)
Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation
Throughout her long and distinguished career, Holly J. Humphrey, MD, MACP, was a tireless advocate for advancing excellence in medical education and for supporting learners throughout their education. From 1989, when she joined the faculty of medicine, until 2018 when she stepped down as the Ralph W. Gerard Professor in Medicine and dean of medical education at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine (Pritzker), Dr. Humphrey played a central role in transforming the clinical learning environment, including developing one of the nation’s first white coat ceremonies, which took place at Pritzker in 1989.
Vineet Arora, MD, MAPP, the current dean of medical education at Pritzker, lauded Dr. Humphrey for her innovative approach, noting that the university served as “the laboratory where she honed and developed her ideas for exemplary clinical learning environments, professional identity formation in emerging physicians, and the importance of mentoring as a means of transmitting the values of the profession.” Dr. Humphrey’s students agreed, as she was honored more than 25 times with the Favorite Faculty teaching award, her most prized recognition.
After 15 years at the University of Chicago, Dr. Humphrey was tapped to become the eighth president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, a private, philanthropic, grantmaking organization and the only national foundation dedicated solely to improving the education of health professionals. Over the next seven years at its helm, Dr. Humphrey created a lasting, nationwide influence on health professions education. She convened four national consensus conferences that addressed: bias and discrimination in the clinical environment, lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, fairness in medical education evaluation, and artificial intelligence in medical education. The resulting recommendations and scholarly works were published in special issues of Academic Medicine.
Additionally, Dr. Humphrey renewed a signature initiative of the foundation, the Macy Faculty Scholars program, on its 10th anniversary in 2020, so it could continue to help develop the next generation of leaders in medicine and nursing. She also implemented a series of program modifications, expanding the impact and accessibility of this prestigious career development award.
Dr. Humphrey championed the Macy Foundation’s steadfast commitment to excellence by engaging broad and diverse perspectives, fostering teamwork among future health professionals, and equipping them to address ethical challenges. In her obituary on the foundation’s website, her colleagues wrote, “In all of her professional roles and in every stage of her distinguished and impressive career, Dr. Humphrey was guided by her abiding principles, which included centering the vulnerable — both patients and learners — and working on their behalf as a bedrock for decision-making.” This was further demonstrated by her active engagement as a member of several AAMC affinity groups and as an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. Additionally, she served as a board member of several organizations, including Alpha Omega Alpha, the National Resident Matching Program, and the American Board of Internal Medicine, among others.
Dr. Humphrey graduated from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and earned her MD with honors from the University of Chicago. Here, she also completed an internal medicine residency, chief residency, and pulmonary and critical care fellowship.