Excellence in Medical Student Education Award

Providing national recognition for an outstanding medical student educator.

The Excellence in Medical Student Education Award will provide national recognition for an outstanding medical student educator on an annual basis. It is established through funding from the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). The award will be presented annually at the AUPO Annual Meeting and includes a cash prize.

The nomination period will reopen in February 2025.

2023 Excellence in Medical Student Education Award Recipient

Anju Goyal, MD Excellence in Medical Student Education Award
Anju Goyal, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine, Kresge Eye Institute

Dr. Anju Goyal is Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Medical Student Education at Kresge Eye Institute (KEI), the department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences of Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. She completed her Ophthalmology residency and Glaucoma fellowship training at Kresge Eye Institute. Upon graduation in 2005, Dr. Goyal quickly became an active member of the faculty, serving as Director of the Residents’ Clinic and helped lead the implementation of the first Electronic Medical Record system at KEI. In 2011, Dr. Goyal became the Director of the Ophthalmology Clinical Elective for Wayne State University School of Medicine students.

As principal investigator for her grant, Vision Detroit, Dr. Goyal has contributed to providing ophthalmic care and eye-health education for Detroit’s underserved community, and actively contributes to sharing innovation in addressing barriers to eyecare. Dr. Goyal is Past-President of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) Directors of Medical Student Education Council. She served on the task force for the American Academy of Ophthalmology-AUPO Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring Program and currently serves on the Data and Metrics Committee. Dr. Goyal serves as a Strategic Planning Committee Member for the National Eye Institute’s National Eye Health Education Program.

Dr. Goyal is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, the Wayne State University School of Medicine Alumni Board of Governors, recipient of the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Excellence in Clinical Science Teaching Award and College Teaching Award, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Secretariat Award and Distinguished Service Award, the Lawrence M. Weiner, M.D. Award for teaching and service, the KEI Lawrence Stocker, M.D. Award for Compassionate Medicine, Hour Detroit magazine’s Top Doc Awards, the Kresge Eye Institute’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and the AAO-AUPO Award for Excellence in Medical Education. Dr. Goyal is recognized locally and nationally for her dedication to patient care, education, and innovation to support students, colleagues, and the patients and public she serves.

Past Recipients

2022

Prithvi Sankar, MD
Prithvi Sankar, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Scheie Eye Institute

2021

Janice Law, MD
Janice Law, MD
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Vanderbilt Eye Institute

2020

Jamie Rosenberg, MD
Jamie Rosenberg, MD
Montefiore Medical Center
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

2019

JoAnn Giaconi, MD
JoAnn Giaconi, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
Stein Eye Institute

2018

Daniel Knoch, MD
Daniel Knoch, MD
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine

2017

Evan Waxman, MD, PhD
Evan "Jake" Waxman, MD, PhD
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

2016

Rukhsana Mirza, MD
Rukhsana Mirza, MD
Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine

2015

Susan Forster, MD Yale University School of Medicine
Susan Forster, MD
Yale University School of Medicine

2014

Linda Lippa, MD
Linda Lippa, MD
University of California, Irvine
Gavin Herbert Eye Institute

Award information

Eligibility

Nominees for the Excellence in Medical Student Education Award must fulfill the following criteria:

  • Be a Member of AUPO and a Member or Fellow of the AAO
  • Have served as a Medical Student Educator at an ACGME, LCME, or RCPSC-accredited AUPO member program for a minimum of two years
  • Currently serve as the Medical Student Educator
  • Embody the qualities of:
    • commitment to medical student education
    • dedication to the medical student education training process
    • active engagement in medical student education program leadership
    • innovation in and/or advancement of medical student education in Ophthalmology at the Regional, National or AUPO level
    • a consummate teacher/mentor/advisor

Special consideration in the selection process will be given to:

  • current activities, not simply to length of service or to contributions made many years previously
  • nominees who have published in peer-reviewed literature on subjects related to medical student education
  • innovative work
  • those who have achieved a leadership role in medical education
  • achievement in mentoring other educators/future educators

Nominations

Candidates must be nominated by their Department Chair

The Application Packet must include the following items (10 pt. font or greater)

  • A letter (not to exceed three pages) from the Chair summarizing the Nominee’s special qualifications for the Award and verifying that, if awarded
    • the Awardee will attend the AUPO Annual Meeting to receive the award
    • the cash prize will be awarded directly to the Awardee and not counted against normal compensation or deposited in department accounts
  • Two supporting letters (each not to exceed two pages) from faculty, current medical students, or past medical students who trained under the Nominee
  • A copy of the Nominee’s current Curriculum Vitae
  • A signed letter from the Nominee (not to exceed two pages) summarizing the Nominee’s accomplishments as Medical Student Educator and plans for future activities. The Nominee must also agree in the letter to provide a presentation at the Annual Meetings of AUPO on a topic related to medical student education training if chosen as the Awardee.
  • The application packet must be compiled by the Department Chair and submitted electronically by April 15.

Selection Process

All completed applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee and a recommendation forwarded to the AUPO Board of Trustees and the AAO Board of Trustee for approval.

The Awardee will be notified by July.