AAMC Awards
The AAMC is proud to celebrate and recognize the extraordinary individuals and institutions driving progress in academic medicine through our wide range of awards programs. These honors shine a light on innovation, service, medical education, research, community engagement, and leadership at every level of the academic medicine community.
The AAMC continually strives to attract a pool of nominees from different backgrounds for its awards program. In this context, we are mindful of all aspects of human differences such as socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, religion, geography, disability, and age.
Our awards are organized into three primary categories:
AAMC Presidential Awards
About
The annual AAMC Presidential Awards represent the highest honors bestowed by the association to individuals and institutions whose work reflects the AAMC’s mission to improve the health of people everywhere. These awards recognize exceptional achievements in and outstanding contributions to advancing medical education, cutting-edge patient care, groundbreaking research, and community engagement.
Nominations are now open for the 2026 AAMC Presidential Awards.
Awards Recognition
Please join us on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 4 p.m. ET as we honor the 2025 award recipients and their achievements. The 2025 honorees will be announced soon.
Register for the 2025 AAMC Awards Recognition Event
Presidential Awards
Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards
Annually recognizes up to four gifted medical educators.
Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award
Honors a medical school faculty physician (MD or DO degree) who exemplifies the qualities of a caring and compassionate mentor in the teaching and advising of medical students. Administered through the Organization of Student Representatives (OSR).
Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences
Annually recognizes a faculty member who has made outstanding research contributions to advance understanding of health and disease.
Award for Excellence in Medical Education
Annually recognizes the extraordinary contributions of an individual to the medical education community.
Herbert W. Nickens Award
Annually recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions in promoting justice in medical education and the health care of the American people.
Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Award
Annually recognizes an individual who demonstrates, through their leadership, a commitment to promoting health care professionals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences to meet the highest standards of medical excellence.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation David E. Rogers Award
Annually recognizes a medical school faculty member who has made major contributions to improving the health and health care of the American people.
Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement
Annually recognizes an AAMC-member medical school or health system with a longstanding, major institutional commitment to partnering with their communities to address community-identified needs.
Programmatic and Leadership Awards
About
Beyond our presidential awards program, the AAMC offers several additional awards that support innovation, community leadership, and curriculum development across the academic medicine continuum. These awards often respond to specific trends, needs, or challenges facing our member institutions and their communities.
Awards in Access and Opportunity
Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship
Recognizes an outstanding junior faculty member who holds the rank of assistant professor in a LCME-accredited U.S. medical school department.
Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarships
Recognizes outstanding academic achievement of medical students entering the third year in a LCME-accredited U.S. medical school.
Awards in Curricular Innovation
AAMC Curricular Innovation Award
Recognizes the innovative ways AAMC member institutions are working to advance the education of students, residents, and practicing physicians about opioids, substance use disorder, and pain management.
AAMC Curriculum Leader Awards
This award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exemplary service to advance curriculum with the AAMC.
Affinity Group-Sponsored Awards and Grants
About
Many of the AAMC’s affinity groups sponsor their own award programs, recognizing leaders, collaborators, and contributors who advance the missions of their specific professional communities. These awards celebrate service, innovation, mentorship, excellence, and impact within each group’s area of focus.
Access more group awards