Home | ACGME Glossary of Terms | Search | Site Map | Application Support | Legal | Contact Us
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residents Program Directors & Coordinators Designated Institution Officials General Public ACGME Home








The Courage to Lead Award FAQs
                   

Background

Why did the ACGME establish the Courage to Lead Award?

The ACGME recognizes that designated institutional officials (DIOs) face many challenges in creating an environment for educational programs, facilitating residents’ ethical, professional, and personal development, and ensuring safe and appropriate care of patients. The Courage to Lead Award acknowledges the leadership and commitment of DIOs who foster an excellent environment for resident education.

Who is Parker J. Palmer?

Parker J. Palmer is a highly respected writer and traveling teacher who works independently on issues in education, community, spirituality, and social change. In 1998, "The Leadership Project," a survey of eleven thousand educators, named Palmer as one of the thirty "most influential senior leaders" in higher education and one of ten key "agenda-setters of the past decade." "He has inspired a generation of teachers and reformers with evocative visions of community, knowing, and spiritual wholeness." Palmer is senior associate of the American Association for Higher Education and senior adviser to the Fetzer Institute, for whom he designed the Teacher Formation Program for K-12 teachers. Author of such widely praised books as The Company of Strangers, The Active Life, To Know As We Are Known, The Courage to Teach, he holds a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Instructions for Nominations

Who is eligible for the Courage to Lead Award?

Designated Institutional Officials (DIOs).

What are the criteria for selection?

The DIO:
  1. works in a fully-accredited institution;
  2. has at least five years’ experience as a DIO;
  3. has evidence of encouraging program directors to find innovative ways to
            teach residents and to provide quality health care;
  4. demonstrates dedication and effectiveness in the teaching of residents;
  5. promotes institutional behaviors that are value-based and highly principled;
  6. is an exemplary institutional role model;
  7. has contributed innovation and improvement in the learning environment from which the field         can learn.
How do I apply?

The following information, sent together electronically, is requested:
  1. a completed application form;
  2. a total of three letters of support from the following (if a group is nominating, each group may         submit one letter):
    • department chairs;
    • program directors;
    • residents;
    • faculty members;
    • other institutional representatives, including the Dean and CEO.
    The letters should state the reasons for the nominee's selection and include a brief summary of         how the nominee fulfills the criteria outlined above, including significant contributions to         graduate medical education;
  3. a curriculum vitae.

Where do I send the material?

The application form may be downloaded from the ACGME website and emailed with support letters and curriculum vitae to: Emily Vasiliou evasiliou@acgme.org. If you have any questions, you may contact Emily at evasiliou@acgme.org or by phone at 312/755-7486. All materials (application form, support letters, and curriculum vitae) must arrive by email in one batch. Material received in piecemeal will not be accepted.

What is the deadline for nominations?

The deadline is July 2, 2008. Any nominations received after that will not be accepted.

How many nominees will be selected to receive the award?

There are three award categories:
  • Small community hospital
  • Large community hospital
  • Tertiary Academic Centers
One DIO will be selected from these three groups, and one to three awards may be given.

What is the award that will be given?

Each DIO will receive a check for $1000 and a plaque. Travel expenses will be paid by the ACGME for each recipient and a guest to travel to the ACGME Annual Educational Conference in Texas to receive their award.

When will the award winners be announced?

Selections will be made by the ACGME Awards Committee at its September 2008 meeting; afterwards, the ACGME CEO will send a congratulatory letter to the recipients and nominators. The recipients will be acknowledged at the March 2009 ACGME Annual Educational Conference. Award recipients will also be invited to attend a special retreat in May 2009. Award announcements will be published in a press release and the ACGME Bulletin, as well as posted on the ACGME website.