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    Awards - GIR

    The AAMC Group on Information Resources (GIR) awards program recognizes GIR members who have made significant contributions to academic medicine information technology. Established in 2018, these awards focus on contributions in the academic medical center information technology arena that inspire and impact the work we do to advance academic medicine. There are two categories of awards: the GIR Excellence Award and the GIR Vince Sheehan Service Award. 

    GIR Excellence Award

    The GIR Excellence Award is given to an individual, or institutional or cross-institutional team, that contributed to a work of excellence in academic medical information technology domain, supporting one or more of the mission areas of the academic medical centers: clinical, educational, or research, and including administration. This award reflects a contribution that has an innovative national impact, or institutional impact that is a model for other institutions to follow. The GIR Excellence Award selection criteria are designed to consider institutions of various sizes and available resources equitably. The established criteria include:

    • Impact: Single Institution (One Area or Multiple Areas), Multiple Institutions 
    • Innovation: Sustainable and/or uniqueness, contributes to wider body of knowledge and advances IT in academic medicine
    • Implementation State: Conceptualized, Tested or Implemented 
    • Shareability: Not Disseminated, Internal Only, Shared via One or More External Mediums 

    The evaluation criteria also assess a nominated work of excellence’s potential benefit to diversity and inclusion. This award can be by self-nomination. 

    Detailed Qualifications 

    • Describe this project/initiative, why you believe this recognizes national recognition, how it contributes to the wider body of knowledge, and how it advances information technology in academic medicine.
    • Who participated in this project from an AMC institution and what was their role? 
    • Composition of the project team.
    • Areas of impact that the nomination addresses. 
    • Stage of implementation.
    • How the work has been or will be shared with your peers.
    • How others can adapt this for their own use.

    GIR Vince Sheehan Service Award

    The GIR Vince Sheehan Service Award is given to an individual based on their contributions to the AAMC GIR Community. These nominations are intended to recognize an individual for significant and long-lasting impact in the field of academic medical center information technology, and to the GIR community. It is designed to honor an individual whose personal commitment and dedication embodies the qualities of a leader, mentor, and role model in the GIR community. This award cannot be self-nominated. 

    Detailed Qualifications 

    • Describe the person being nominated for this role and a summary nominating statement on why you are nominating this person for this award.
    • Describe their active participation in, and long-lasting impacts to the GIR and its members.
    • What other information can you provide that would help us evaluate this person’s contributions to academic medicine and the GIR? 
    • Does this person know they are being nominated?
    • Please provide a link to their bio or LinkedIn page, if accessible (Optional).

    Additional Information about the AAMC GIR Awards

    Goals and Objectives

    • Recognize individual, institutional, and cross-institutional work of excellence in the information technology area; 
    • Recognize service that grows and supports the AAMC GIR Community; and 
    • Through that recognition, help drive further excellence and service in IT in the academic medicine community.

    Selection Process 

    Award Evaluation Committee 

    • The committee will reflect a diverse membership from the AAMC GIR community. 
    • The committee will have at least one Steering Committee member who will serve as the chair. 
    • The Steering Committee will request participation from the AAMC GIR working groups through the Steering Committee liaison. 
    • Steering Committee members will nominate individuals from the broader AAMC GIR community to serve on the Award Evaluation Committee. 
    • The AAMC GIR Award Evaluation Committee will consist of 4-8 committee members. 

    Call for Nominations 

    • The request for nominations will be distributed to GIR membership and more broadly within 4 months of the GIR Annual conference. 
    • The initial email announcement that calls for nominations will be distributed by the AAMC. 
    • After the initial announcement, the request for nominations will be incorporated into AAMC GIR monthly newsletter. 
    • The request for nominations will also be distributed to other AAMC Affinity Groups. 
    • Within a week of the nomination deadline, the AAMC will send one last reminder to the GIR community. 
    • Based on the number of responses, the AAMC GIR Award Evaluation committee may seek to extend the deadline. 

    Evaluation Criteria 

    • The AAMC GIR Award Evaluation Committee will review the evaluation criteria before the official call for nomination and make any changes to the criteria.  
    • Evaluation criteria will be finalized before the formal request is distributed. 
    • For the Excellence Award, as least one nominee must be affiliated with the AAMC GIR. 
    • For the Service Award, the nominees must be or have been affiliated with the AAMC GIR. 
    • Excellence Award Criteria: Alignment of project/initiative to the mission of the GIR; project outcomes have a demonstrated impact in the field. 
    • Service Award Criteria:  Leadership in the GIR; Active participation in the GIR; Involvement in other GIR initiatives. 

    Evaluation Process 

    • Submissions will be evaluated once the nomination process has been closed. 
    • Any Award Evaluation Committee member who is associated with a person, persons, or institution up for nomination will recuse themselves from evaluating that particular submission. 
    • All submissions will first be reviewed by the Award Evaluation Committee and scored independently. 
    • Submissions will then be discussed as a committee. 
    • The Award Evaluation Committee will recommend 1 awardee for each award category to the GIR Steering Committee for final approval. If the Steering Committee does not approve the recommendation, no award will be presented that year. 
    • If the selection committee is unable to reach consensus, it will then be reviewed by the Steering Committee for their recommendation. 
    • If there are no nominations that represent the quality and objectives of the awards, the Award Evaluation Committee may elect to not recommend an award recipient. 
    • The selection must be completed within a month of the AAMC GIR Annual conference to ensure appropriate time for travel.

    Awards 

    • The selected awardees will receive a plaque and a certificate
    • If the award involves multiple recipients at different organizations, each recipient will receive a plaque. If the award involves multiple recipients at the same institution, each recipient will receive a certificate, and the institution will receive one plaque. 
    • No cash prizes will be awarded. 
    • The recipients, and their contributions, will be highlighted in the GIR newsletter. 
    • The AAMC will send an email of congratulations to the institution’s Dean. 
    • The recipients will be announced at the annual AAMC Awards Dinner at the AAMC Annual Meeting (Learn, Serve, Lead). Award winners are not required to attend this meeting. 
    • The recipient will have an opportunity to speak during a GIR national event for 5-10 minutes about their work for which they were nominated (not an acceptance speech). 
    • Attendance at the conference will be the responsibility of the award winner(s). If the award winner(s) are unable to attend the conference, other alternatives will be offered for the winner(s) to present on their recognized work. 

    Timeline 

    • The first GIR awards were presented at the 2019 AAMC GIR annual conference, and they will be presented annually thereafter if there are award winners.  

    Nominations for both awards will be evaluated by a Selection Committee appointed annually by the GIR Steering Committee. In considering nominations, this Committee will ensure there is diverse and broad consideration from across the AAMC GIR Community. Nominations for the GIR Excellence Award must include at least one current GIR member, but non-GIR partners may be a part of the nomination. GIR Vince Sheehan Service Award recipients must have been a member of the GIR. Award recipients will be asked to reflect on their award at the annual AAMC GIR conference.

    Award Recipients

    Please contact gir@aamc.org if you have any questions about the GIR awards program.