November 15, 2007
Horvath and Shugerman receive Courage to Teach Award
Two UW faculty members, Karen Horvath and Richard Shugerman, have received one of the highest awards granted to residency program directors. They are among the 10 people honored by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education with the 2008 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award.
UW faculty members or educators in the UW residency network have received the Courage to Teach award five times since its inception in 2001 — more than any other institution. Teresa Massagli, Deborah Crowley, and Harold Johnston are the UW’s previous award recipients.
Horvath, UW associate professor of surgery, has directed the residency program for the UW Department of Surgery since 2002. She regularly participates in programs like the Resident Technical Skills Lab and Resident Surgical Science Series, giving her both hands-on experience and leadership in graduate medical education. Horvath was recognized for her careful attention to the well-being of surgery residents dealing with the rigors of surgical training, and for efforts to balance resident scheduling with duty hour restrictions across the several hospitals within the residency program.
Shugerman, UW professor of pediatrics, has directed the residency program for the UW Department of Pediatrics since 1992. He was recognized for his distinguished educational leadership, administrative work, and innovation. Shugerman has received both the Outstanding Teacher and Outstanding Role Model in Medicine awards from UW residents. He has served on the UW’s Graduate Medical Education Committee for more than a decade, and helped oversee projects like the residency reorganization brought about by new duty hour standards. Shugerman has developed several new programs during his tenure, including a retreat for second- and third-year residents to help them think about career planning, time management, personal finance, and negotiating skills.
The award is named for Parker J. Palmer, an educator and writer who authored “The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life.” The ACGME has given the award each year since 2001 to distinguished residency program directors, nominated by faculty and residents, in recognition of their commitment to teaching and development of innovative and effective residency programs.
