AΩA Professionalism Award

Recognizing best practices in medical professionalism education, the 2022 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Professionalism Award has been awarded to NYU Grossman School of Medicine for their Professional Identity Formation curriculum.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine is being recognized for its Professional Identity Formation Curriculum which takes multiple approaches over the three to four years of undergraduate medical education to instill professional values in medical students and provoke their evolving reflections on what professionalism within a medical career means. The curriculum  includes lectures, workshops, a series of professional identity essays written throughout the students education journey, and personal coaching and feedback. The curriculum is designed to ensure students enter the modern world of medicine with the tools needed to navigate its increasingly complex challenges with professionalism.

No AΩA Professionalism Awards were given in 2021.

Recognizing best practices in medical professionalism education, the 2020 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Professionalism Award has been awarded to American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine.

American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine is being recognized for its Salim El-Hoss Bioethics and Professionalism Program (SHBPP), which is the first targeted initiative in the Arab world that seeks to educate, research, and champion issues related to medical professionalism, medical education, bedside clinical ethics, medical humanism, biomedical ethics, and bioethics. SHBPP is an interdisciplinary resource for faculty, students, health care providers and policy makers who are involved in bioethics education, research, and consultation in Lebanon and the region.

Baylor College of Medicine is being recognized for its Center for Professionalism in Medicine, which was created and charged with elevating and supporting professionalism throughout, and developing a predictable, consistent, and fair approach to address lapses in professionalism. The philosophy of the center is that professionalism is one of the most compelling attributes in health care, and efforts to instill professionalism throughout the community facilitate the establishment of trust and respect which are at the core of all therapeutic relationships.

Since its founding in 1902, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society has recognized and advocated for excellence in scholarship, demonstrated professionalism, and the growth of physician leadership in the profession of medicine. Through 132 Chapters in medical schools across the United States and in Lebanon, more than 4,000 new members are inducted into the society each year. More than 55 Nobel Prize winners are members of Alpha Omega Alpha, as well as 11 of the 19 United States Surgeons General. Nearly 75 percent of Deans of U.S. medical schools are members of AΩA. Alpha Omega Alpha annually grants $2 million in programs, fellowships, grants, and awards to medical students, residents, teachers, and community physicians.

Recognizing best practices in medical professionalism education, the 2019 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Professionalism Award has been awarded to Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University for their Professional Identity Formation curriculum.

Professional socialization and the development of reflective capacity are critical elements that shape a medical student’s professional identity with a goal to develop physicians who can bring their “whole person to provide whole person care.” The professional identity of an excellent doctor embraces empathy, mindful attention to patient care, integrity, self-awareness, teamwork, beneficence, respect, and equal regard for all, as well as an eagerness to learn, resilience, and attention to self-care. Personal Identity Formation is a lifelong endeavor achieved through critical reflection and exposures to role models who “pass the torch” from generation to generation.

The central aim of Renaissance School of Medicine’s Personal Identity Formation curriculum is to integrate evidence-based approaches to enhance personal identity formation among trainees and faculty across the medical education continuum. In a time of increasing burnout among physicians and trainees, purposeful integration of such approaches into an institution’s learning processes helps to enhance resilience and a sense of belonging and well-being within a community of practice.

To learn more about Renaissance School of Medicine’s Personal Identity Formation curriculum visit https://renaissance.stonybrookmedicine.edu/pif

Since its founding in 1902, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society has recognized and advocated for excellence in scholarship, demonstrated professionalism, and the growth of physician leadership in the profession of medicine. Through 132 Chapters in medical schools across the United States and in Lebanon, more than 4,000 new members are inducted into the society each year. More than 55 Nobel Prize winners are members of Alpha Omega Alpha, as well as 11 of the 19 United States Surgeons General. Nearly 75 percent of Deans of U.S. medical schools are members of AΩA. Alpha Omega Alpha annually grants $2 million in programs, fellowships, grants, and awards to medical students, residents, teachers, and community physicians.

Professionalism Award- Recognizing best practices in medical professionalism education, the 2018 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Professionalism Award goes to: Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, for their professionalism curriculum, “The Professional Development Strand”.

History of the School and How the Course Began

Established in 1972, Florida International University has 56,886 students. The graduating class of undergraduate baccalaureates produces the largest number of graduating Hispanics in the U.S., at 61.8%. The Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine graduated its first medical school class in 2013. Since 2012 there have been 120 medical students admitted each year.

The emphasis of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine mission is its focus on community health in a diverse metropolitan region. The curriculum is expressly designed to instill cultural sensitivities, yet allow graduates the flexibility to pursue a wide range of careers in medicine. Foreseeing the need to train culturally-sensitive, empathetic, ethical, and dedicated physicians to treat the most under-privileged residents of South Florida, the Deans of the college of medicine formed a committee that would design a course to train future doctors to uphold these qualities. The development and planning of the Professional Behavior Course began in 2008. The program has since gone through multiple revisions, improvements, and transformations with the hopes of developing the most appropriate curriculum that will meet the student needs and achieve the desired goals.

Purpose and Background of the Course

The Professional Behavior course is designed to introduce and teach awareness of the impact of values, emotions, and attitudes of behaviors (VEAs) and of self-reflection on the doctor/patient relationship. This course applies philosophical, psychodynamic, and practical concepts that are helpful for preparing future physicians for the many diverse emotional and psychological experiences associated with the clinical setting and professional life. Specifically, the course prepares students to understand and be aware of behavioral issues and emotional stress that can impact physicians, explores how VEAs can impact patient care and health outcomes, and introduces students to the professional behaviors and responsibilities required of physicians.

To learn more about the curriculum at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine please use this link:

Student Handbook

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AΩA)

Since its founding in 1902, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society has recognized and advocated for excellence in scholarship, demonstrated professionalism, and the growth of physician leadership in the profession of medicine. Through 132 active Chapters in the United States and Lebanon, more than 4,000 new members are inducted into the society each year. More than 55 Nobel Prize winners are members of Alpha Omega Alpha, as well as 11 of the 19 United States Surgeons General. Nearly 75% of Deans of U.S. medical schools are members of AΩA. Alpha Omega Alpha annually grants more than $1.75 million in fellowships, grants, and awards to medical students, residents, teachers, and community physicians.