The Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) Leadership Award recognizes outstanding individual faculty and organization contributions to advancing women leaders in academic medicine and science. Since 1995, these prestigious awards have recognized more than 75 individuals and organizations.
Any member of the academic medicine community may nominate emerging and established individuals and organizations for the award. The GWIMS Steering Committee strongly encourages nominations of leaders and programs that have significant impact on advancing women leaders in academic medicine and science.
Award Categories
There are four award categories. Before submitting an application, please fully review all category descriptions. Here are the 2025 Leadership Award winners:
Emerging Individual Leadership Award
Nominee has contributed to the advancement of women in medicine and science for fewer than 10 years of their career.
Dr. Iyer holds a master’s degree in medical education and is deeply committed to advancing medical education research, particularly in gender equity, faculty development, faculty affairs, workforce culture, and lifelong learning. She has published extensively in these topics and has mentored numerous trainees and faculty across institutions. Her externally funded research focuses on workforce culture, with a special emphasis on gender-based bullying in academic medicine- a topic on which she has delivered several invited international/national talks, along with implementing a nationally available curriculum. Her peer reviewed scholarship has appeared in leading journals such as JAMA, JAMA Network Open, Academic Medicine, and MedEd Portal. She was the youngest elected member to the American Board of Pediatrics Pediatric Emergency Medicine Sub Board. She was honored as a Visiting Scholar by the American Board of Medical Specialties in 2019-2020. Dr. Iyer was also the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Joan F. Giambalvo’s Fund for the Advancement of Women, a two-time recipient of the American Medical Association’s Inspiration Award (2021 and 2024), and is a current 2025-2026 fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program.
Established Individual Leadership Award
Nominee has contributed to the advancement of women in medicine and science for 10 years or more of their career.
Linda Chaudron, MD, MS, is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, and Vice President and RG-BING-You Chair, Department of Medical Education at Maine Medical Center/Maine Health in Portland, ME.
Dr. Chaudron has led significant institutional initiatives and established programs and offices dedicated to advancing women in medicine and science. Nationally, she served as Chair of the AAMC GWIMS Steering Committee, co-chaired the 2017 joint AAMC GDI/GWIMS Conference Committee, and contributed to AAMC programs including ‘Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers’ and MIDWIMS. Locally she serves on multiple MaineHealth committees that focus on advancing women physicians and advanced practice providers. Dr. Chaudron is a graduate of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program and currently serves as a learning community advisor for the ELAM and Executive Leadership in Healthcare programs.
At the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Dr. Chaudron served for a decade leading equity and inclusion efforts as the Senior Associate Dean and Vice President for Inclusion and Culture. She established multiple career development programs for women faculty and staff including a mid-career women faculty development program that demonstrated measurable impact on promotion and advancement. She founded the enduring Tana Grady-Weliky, MD Lecture on Women and Diversity in Medicine, which continues to be one of the top lecture at the medical school.
Her leadership and advocacy have earned numerous honors, including the University of Rochester’s Susan B. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2025 American Psychiatric Association Alexandra Symonds Award, recognizing her significant contributions to advancing women in medicine and science.
Emerging Organization Leadership Award
The organization has contributed to the advancement of women in medicine and science for fewer than 10 years.
The Muriel Steele Society (MSS) is a Department of Surgery–based organization at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), established in 2018 to advance women in surgery and academic medicine. It is co-chaired by Drs. Mika Varma and Lucy Kornblith and overseen by an executive council of over 50 members, representing all surgical subspecialties at UCSF, including faculty, residents, fellows, and medical students. The society has grown from its original seven founding members to more than 600 members, encompassing women across UCSF surgical specialties and affiliated hospitals. MSS is supported by institutional resources provided by the Department of Surgery, including administrative support, leadership oversight, a discretionary budget, and sponsorship of annual visiting professors. The society also benefits from extramural funding, including a UCSF Community Well-Being Grant and multiple “Getting Together” Faculty/Staff Morale funds, which have enabled programs on visibility, ergonomics, resilience, and burnout prevention.
Since its founding, MSS has developed a broad portfolio of initiatives to support women’s advancement in surgery. Its programming includes seminars on publishing research, navigating promotion processes, excelling at job negotiations, and developing mentorship networks. MSS has created recognition mechanisms such as an Honor Roll and Trailblazing Award, while also sponsoring nominations for local, regional, and national honors. These efforts have resulted in 34 nominations and 13 awardees, with impact documented in Annals of Surgery. MSS supports early-career faculty by sponsoring participation in AAMC leadership programs and has initiated research and policy projects, such as the development of a parenting in surgery program—subsequently published in the World Journal of Surgery—and studies addressing barriers to advancement for underrepresented groups. In addition, MSS regularly hosts national and international women and underrepresented visiting professors, creating networking and visibility opportunities for UCSF trainees, faculty, and students.
MSS has gained recognition both within UCSF and nationally for its contributions to advancing gender equity in surgery. It was selected to host several high-profile visiting professorships, including the Society of Black Academic Surgeons–Association of Women Surgeons Visiting Professor (2024), the American Surgical Association–Association of Women Surgeons Surgical Leaders Fellowship (2025), and the Society of Surgical Oncology Catalyst Visiting Professor (2025). Its community-building efforts are highlighted through a monthly newsletter and social media presence, which disseminate accomplishments and opportunities to members. By leveraging institutional support, external funding, and the enthusiasm of its membership, MSS has created sustainable programs and scholarship that enhance visibility, foster mentorship, and improve professional advancement for women in surgery. Through its comprehensive and structured approach, MSS has established itself as a durable and influential organization for gender equity in academic surgery.
Established Organization Leadership Award
The organization has contributed to the advancement of women in medicine and science for more than 10 years.
WIMS was established in 2014 and over the last decade has demonstrated consistent and visible dedication to supporting faculty within The Ohio State University College of Medicine. WIMS began as a committee under Faculty Advancement, Mentoring, and Education (FAME), and in 2022 became an independent entity within the Office of Faculty Affairs, with an autonomous budget and five committees.
In June 2025, WIMS rebranded to Widening Impact in Medicine and Science and expanded its focus. The WIMS mission is as follows: to “To champion the advancement, visibility, and fair recognition of faculty within the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University by fostering empowerment, advocacy, and encompassing growth. Through WIMS, we inspire meaningful success by cultivating a welcoming and transformative academic environment where all faculty are valued, supported, and equipped to thrive.” WIMS has advanced numerous major initiatives with measurable institutional and national impact.
Among its most notable achievements are:
- Founding of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) CommUNITYten Collaborative. WIMS created the CommUNITYten collaborative among the 19 Big Ten institutions with the goals of: 1) developing a community of leaders and professionals in medicine and biomedical sciences; 2) creating networks for professional development and growth; and 3) sharing best practices and resources on advancing faculty success in academia. The CommUNITYten Collaborative hosted its inaugural conference in June 2024.
- Launch of the Research Accelerator Program to Translate, Innovate and Commercialize (RAPTIC), designed to address documented setbacks to academic’s productivity stemming for the COVID-19 pandemic and pre-existing gender inequities in grant funding and research resources.
- The national reputation the WIMS program has earned through multiple formal presentations at Learn, Serve, Lead meetings, and former and current WIMS Directors, Drs. Kristy Townsend and Maya Iyer serving as Visiting Scholars at Northwestern University in 2024.
Over its 11-year history, WIMS has achieved significant milestones and continues to proactively identify and address emerging challenges faced by all faculty. Guided by its core belief that 'a rising tide lifts all boats,' WIMS remains committed to fostering collective growth and fair recognition across the academic community."