Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award
This award recognizes designated institutional officials who have demonstrated strong leadership and astute resource management and have encouraged innovation and improvement in residency programs and their Sponsoring Institutions.
Award Information
The Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award honors designated institutional officials (DIOs) who have demonstrated excellence in overseeing graduate medical education (GME) programs at their Sponsoring Institutions. DIOs have authority and responsibility for all graduate medical education programs in a teaching hospital, community hospital, or other type of institution that sponsors GME programs.
2025 Award Recipients
Designated Institutional Official
University of Alabama Hospital
Birmingham, Alabama
Designated Institutional Official
Geisinger
Danville, Pennsylvania
Past Award Recipients
2024 Award Recipients
Designated Institutional Official
Kansas University Medical Center
Kansas City, Kansas
Designated Institutional Official
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia
Designated Institutional Official
Cahaba Medical Care
Centreville, Alabama
2023 Award Recipients
Henry Ford Health
Detroit, Michigan
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Cooper University Health Care, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Camden, New Jersey
2022 Award Recipients
Creighton University School of Medicine
Omaha, Nebraska
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
Iowa City, Iowa
2021 Award Recipients
Hennepin Health System
Minneapolis, Minnesota
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts
2020 Award Recipients
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Springfield, Illinois
Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
2019 Award Recipients
Ochsner Health System
New Orleans, Louisiana
University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio
2018 Award Recipients
National Capital Consortium
Bethesda, Maryland
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Detroit, Michigan
2017 Award Recipients
Inova Fairfax Medical Campus
Falls Church, VA
MetroHealth Medical Center
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
UPMC Medical Education
Pittsburgh, PA
2016 Award Recipients
Children’s National Medical Center
Washington, DC
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
2015 Award Recipients
University of Nevada School of Medicine
Las Vegas, NV
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Galveston, TX
2014 Award Recipients
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
San Francisco, CA
Geisinger Health System
Danville, PA
Summa Health System
Akron, OH
2013 Award Recipients
Stanford Hospital and Clinics
Stanford, CA
Naval Medical Center San Diego
San Diego, CA
University Hospital, SUNY at Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY
2012 Award Recipients
Howard University Hospital
Washington, DC
University of Southern California/
LAC+USC Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA
Methodist Hospital (Houston)
Houston, TX
2011 Award Recipients
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, MI
HealthPartners Institute for Medical Education
Bloomington, MN
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
2010 Award Recipients
Mercy Catholic Medical Center
Darby, PA
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
Vice President, Academic Affairs
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI
The nomination period for the 2026 ACGME Awards is now closed.