Awards

GME Office and Warner School of Education & Human Development Awarded 2026 Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Catalyst Award

The University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Graduate Medical Education Office and the Warner School of Education & Human Development have been awarded a 2026 Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Catalyst Award for Transformation in Graduate Medical Education for The Metacognitive Analysis Project. Designed in late 2023, with pilots conducted in 2024-2025, this multi-year collaborative initiative aims to optimize resident and fellow performance in high-stakes evaluations through a biopsychosocial lens. 

The project addresses the complex challenges faced by trainees whose performance in high-stakes evaluation may not fully reflect their knowledge and capabilities. Clinical training often occurs in high-pressure, evaluative spaces where learners’ performance is impacted by biological factors (e.g. anxiety), psychological factors (e.g. mindset, self-efficacy), and socio-cultural factors (e.g. bias, stereotype threat). By investigating interventions that mitigate imposter syndrome and optimize performance, we highlight critical areas for change, ensuring that our efforts support individual growth and increase belonging and relatedness in the graduate medical education community, all of which contribute to professional identity development and career success.

This transformative work is poised to significantly impact UR Medicine and serve as a national model for advancing clinical excellence and equity in residency and fellowship programs by equipping trainees with evidence-based strategies to bring their performance in line with their knowledge, understanding, and capabilities. Already shared nationally with other GME leaders, the project has generated interest from peer institutions seeking to collaborate and include their own trainees in future interventions. This recognition underscores the University’s commitment to innovative, equitable, and evidence-based medical education.

Beginning February 2026, the project is being led by co-principal investigators Brett Robbins, MD, professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and senior associate dean for Graduate Medical Education and Anika Simone Johnson, EdD, assistant dean of Engagement and Enrichment at Warner. Co-investigators include Kimberly Fluet, PhD, MEd, assistant professor (clinical) at the Center for Professional Development and Education Reform at Warner; Alec O'Connor, MD, MPH, professor of Medicine and program director for the Internal Medicine residency program; and Seif Nasir, MD, MPH, Pulmonary and Critical Care fellow.

Amy Mills Awarded Coordinator Excellence Award at ACGME Annual Educational Conference

The Debra L. Dooley GME Program Coordinator Excellence Award is given to program coordinators in recognition of their in-depth understanding of the accreditation process, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and projects to improve residency programs.

The recipients of this year’s GME Program Coordinator Excellence Award are:

• Amy Mills, C-TAGME; University of Rochester Medical Center; Rochester, New York (Surgery)
• Jennifer Cardone, C-TAGME; Columbia University Medical Center; New York, New York (Anesthesiology)
• Kelli A. Corning; University of Washington; Seattle, Washington (Internal Medicine)
• Martina DiNapoli Dahill; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Boston, Massachusetts (Obstetrics and Gynecology)
• Diane Kovacev; Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts (Dermatology)

Brett W. Robbins, M.D., Awarded Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award

The Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award is given to program directors who have fostered innovation and improvement in their residency programs and served as exemplary role models for residents.

The recipients of this year’s Courage to Teach Award are:

• Brett W. Robbins, MD; University of Rochester Medical Center; Rochester, New York (Program Director for Internal Medicine and Pediatrics)
• David Della-Giustina, MD, FACEP; Yale University; New Haven, Connecticut (Program Director for Emergency Medicine)
• Sima Desai, MD; Oregon Health & Science University; Portland, Oregon (Program Director for Internal Medicine)
• Douglas Fredrick, MD; Stanford Health Care; Palo Alto, California (Program Director for Ophthalmology)
• Lyell K. Jones Jr., MD; Mayo Clinic; Rochester, Minnesota (Program Director for Neurology)
• Sandra A. Moutsios, MD; Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nashville, Tennessee (Program Director for Internal Medicine and Pediatrics)
• Bradford G. Scott, MD; Baylor College of Medicine; Houston, Texas (Program Director for Surgery)
• Douglas S. Smink, MD, MPH; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston, Massachusetts (Program Director for Surgery)
• Cindy Wigg, MD; University of Texas Medical Branch; Galveston, Texas (Program Director for Psychiatry)

See More about the Awards on the ACGME Website
More details on the Debra L. Dooley GME Program Coordinator Excellence Award