"Be worthy to serve the suffering."

-William W. Root, MD - Founder, 1902

AΩA Professionalism Award

Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) is seeking nominations for ongoing programs in medical schools or other institutions that represent best practices in the education and practice of medical professionalism. Individuals or teams may apply.

Programs should:

• Include students, residents, faculty, and other health care team members;

• Show evidence of effectiveness;

• Show evidence of sustainability; and

• Be exportable to other medical institutions.

Important Dates

Deadline for submission

October 17, 2023

Award Announcements

December 8, 2023

2023 Award Recipient

Recognizing best practices in medical professionalism education, the 2023 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Professionalism Award has been awarded to the John A. Burns School of Medicine University of Hawai‘i for their Promoting a Culture of Professionalism at JABSOM curriculum.

John A. Burns School of Medicine University of Hawai‘i is being recognized for its Promoting a Culture of Professionalism at JABSOM curriculum.  This encompasses JABSOM’s vision of A.L.O.H.A. – Attaining Lasting Optimal Health for All.  JABSOM, deeply ingrained in the rich culture of Hawai‘i, has consistently upheld its mission to educate current and future healthcare professionals and leaders by instilling professional values that will translate to high-quality, safe patient care by laying the foundation throughout their undergraduate medical education curriculum while reinforcing the commitment to professionalism throughout residency training and professional development opportunities for all faculty and staff.  Students are introduced to the professionalism expectations during the M1 orientation week with a presentation titled, “Professionalism Begins Today”.  As the medical student progresses they are put in learning communities where the emphasis is on teaching and reinforcing professionalism, professional identity formation, ethics, and leadership by including reflective, integrative, and inquiry-based activities.

The Award

A one-time award of $10,000 to recognize and honor faculty, programs, and institutions with the best practices in medical professionalism education. One award is presented each year.

Eligibility

Programs at medical schools, or institutions affiliated with medical schools, that have a professionalism program that has produced proven outcomes are eligible. Medical schools that have received the Professionalism Award are not eligible to submit another nomination for three subsequent years. All AΩA members included in the nomination packet must have active dues status in AΩA.

Requirements

  • Leaders of the programs will be asked to attend a medical professionalism conference sponsored by AΩA to present their programs. Expenses will be paid by AΩA.
  • Attendees of the conference will be requested to submit a Chapter for possible inclusion in a monograph to be published by AΩA.

Submission Requirements

The application must include:

  1. The completed application (available on the checklist);
  2. A description of the program, including:
    • Purpose and background
    • Categories of participants
    • Length
    • Syllabus
    • Data to substantiate the program
    • Implementation details
    • Effectiveness measures
    • Sustainability measures
    • Exportability measures
  3. Biosketch(es) of the program leader(s).
  4. A letter of nomination from the Dean of the medical school (maximum two pages), commenting on the program’s effectiveness, and describing how it enhances professionalism among medical personnel.
  5. All materials must be submitted as a single PDF in the format listed on the checklist. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
  6. Only one nomination per school may be submitted.

Questions may be directed to

Libby Appel at professionalismaward@alphaomegaalpha.org or 720-859-4149.

Past Recipients

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.

All AΩA awards, fellowships, grants, and program submissions must be electronically submitted through the appropriate page on the AΩA website.

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