MPPDA Awards

2027 Alliance Awards

Each year the Alliance and its charter associations honor members of the academic internal medicine community for outstanding leadership, dedication, and service to the profession and the organization through the AAIM Awards Program. With many different awards designed to honor various positions within departments of medicine and the internal medicine community, there is ample opportunity to ensure your colleagues are recognized for their commitment, enthusiasm, and expertise.

Submission Deadline: Friday, June 5, 2026.

If you have questions about the AAIM Awards Program, please contact (703) 341-4540 or email awards@im.org.

Alex Djuricich, MD, Award

The MPPDA Alex Djuricich, MD, Award is presented to a Program Director of a Medicine‐Pediatrics Residency Program who demonstrates a notable record of individualized advocacy for each trainee, excellence in program leadership, and innovations in curriculum, teaching and/or medical education.

Dr. Djuricich was an outstanding medicine-pediatric faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) whose history as a Program Director was extraordinary in dedication, enthusiasm and content. His contributions, first as the associate program director for 5 years, and then as director for 8 years were most notable for his bombastic laugh, enthusiasm and ingenuity which were measurable across successful intern recruitments, innovations in journal club and evidence-based medicine, energetic medical student outreach and resident retreats (with plenty of karaoke and fun), along with day-to-day tireless advocacy and mentorship of each and every one of his large body of residents. He developed and implemented the quality improvement curriculum within both the medicine and pediatric departments with expansion into other campus departments. Alex was recognized for his teaching excellence, as a devoted continuity clinic preceptor and inpatient attending in both medicine and pediatrics. He held leadership roles in the Medicine Pediatric Program Directors Association executive team and as the IUSM Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education, taking his abilities in teaching innovation beyond residency training, for example, highlighting the power of social media as an educational tool. The award is presented at the MPPDA Annual Meeting, in conjunction with Academic Internal Medicine Week or the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Spring Meeting.

Nomination Criteria

• The nominee must be a current Med-Peds Program Director at the time of award presentation.
• The nominee must demonstrate:
• Notable record of individualized advocacy for each trainee
• Excellence in program leadership
• Innovations in curriculum, teaching and/or medical education
• The nominee must not be the recipient of an MPPDA award in the past three award years.

Please note, if a nominee is a current board, council, or executive committee member at the time the award recipient is being selected, they are not eligible for award consideration.

Submission Requirements

All submissions are completed online and require:

• Responses to award nomination criteria questions, which are based on the award’s nomination criteria.
• Upload of the nominee’s CV or resume. Please consider highlighting the sections that illustrate the nominee’s qualifications for the specific award.

Selection Process

• The nomination is reviewed, evaluated, and selected by the MPPDA Executive Committee. The evaluation and selection of the nominee is based on the responses to the award nomination criteria questions and the nominee’s CV or resume.
• All nominations may be considered for the year they are nominated as well as the following two years. An updated CV or resume is required for nominations to be reconsidered.
  

Brendan P. Kelly, MD, Award

About the Award

The MPPDA Brendan P. Kelly, MD, Award is presented to an Associate Program Director of a Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program who demonstrates the teaching excellence, collaborative leadership, and compassionate patient care that Dr. Kelly modeled so well.

Dr. Brendan Kelly served as the Associate Program Director of the Baystate Medicine-Pediatrics Program for 18 years. Throughout his medical career, Brendan was a skilled and passionate teacher of residents and medical students, earning a total of 19 medical student teaching awards. He was the founder and director of the first and only national conference for Med-Peds physicians. As a medical educator, Dr. Kelly was known as an incredibly engaging and effective teacher, a master of the art of physical diagnosis, and an expert in giving feedback and teaching professionalism. He was a tireless advocate for all those he cared about: his family, patients, students, colleagues, and nursing staff. At the national level, he was a highly regarded leader and a much beloved friend to all in the medicine-pediatrics community. The award is presented at the MPPDA Annual Meeting, in conjunction with Academic Internal Medicine Week or the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Spring Meeting.

Nomination Criteria

• The nominee must be a current Med-Peds Associate Program Director at the time of award presentation.
• The nominee must demonstrate:
• Teaching excellence
• Collaborative leadership
• Compassionate patient care
• The nominee must not be the recipient of an MPPDA award in the past three award years.

Please note, if a nominee is a current board, council, or executive committee member at the time the award recipient is being selected, they are not eligible for award consideration.

Submission Requirements

All submissions are completed online and require:

• Responses to award nomination criteria questions, which are based on the award’s nomination criteria.
• Upload of the nominee’s CV or resume. Please consider highlighting the sections that illustrate the nominee’s qualifications for the specific award.

Selection Process

• The nomination is reviewed, evaluated, and selected by the MPPDA Executive Committee. The evaluation and selection of the nominee is based on the responses to the award nomination criteria questions and the nominee’s CV or resume.
• All nominations may be considered for the year they are nominated as well as the following two years. An updated CV or resume is required for nominations to be reconsidered.

Leadership in Med-Peds Award

About the Award

The MPPDA Leadership in Med-Peds Award is presented to a physician who has made significant contribution to Medicine-Pediatrics as a profession. The award is presented at the MPPDA Annual Meeting, in conjunction with Academic Internal Medicine Week or the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Spring Meeting.

Nomination Criteria

• In selecting a recipient, predominant attention is given to a nominee who demonstrates:
• Outstanding in their clinical field.
• National leadership in med-peds.
• Significant contribution to the education of med-peds residents.
• Promotion of student interest in training in med-peds.
• Support of faculty development of med-peds.
• Support of the development and betterment of med-peds as a discipline.
• The candidate is not required to be a current member of MPPDA.
• The nominee must not be the recipient of an MPPDA award in the past three award years.

Please note, if a nominee is a current board, council, or executive committee member at the time the award recipient is being selected, they are not eligible for award consideration.

Submission Requirements

All submissions are completed online and require:

• Responses to award nomination criteria questions, which are based on the award’s nomination criteria.
• Upload of the nominee’s CV or resume. Please consider highlighting the sections that illustrate the nominee’s qualifications for the specific award.

Selection Process

• The nomination is reviewed, evaluated, and selected by the MPPDA Executive Committee. The evaluation and selection of the nominee is based on the responses to the award nomination criteria questions and the nominee’s CV or resume.
• All nominations may be considered for the year they are nominated as well as the following two years. An updated CV or resume is required for nominations to be reconsidered.

Program Administrator Award

About the Award

The MPPDA Program Administrator Award is presented to a current or former program administrator who has demonstrated outstanding service and contribution to the Med-Peds Program Directors Association. The award is presented at the MPPDA Annual Meeting, in conjunction with Academic Internal Medicine Week or the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Spring Meeting.

Nomination Criteria

• The nominee must be a current or former MPPDA administrator member at the time of nomination.
• The candidate must have demonstrated outstanding contribution to MPPDA.
• The nominee must not be the recipient of an MPPDA award in the past three award years.

Please note, if a nominee is a current board, council, or executive committee member at the time the award recipient is being selected, they are not eligible for award consideration.

Submission Requirements

All submissions are completed online and require:

• Responses to award nomination criteria questions, which are based on the award’s nomination criteria.
• Upload of the nominee’s CV or resume. Please consider highlighting the sections that illustrate the nominee’s qualifications for the specific award.

Selection Process

• The nomination is reviewed, evaluated, and selected by the MPPDA Executive Committee. The evaluation and selection of the nominee is based on the responses to the award nomination criteria questions and the nominee’s CV or resume.
• All nominations may be considered for the year they are nominated as well as the following two years. An updated CV or resume is required for nominations to be reconsidered.

Walter W. Tunnessen, Jr., MD, Award

About the Award

The MPPDA Walter W. Tunnessen, Jr., MD, Award honors a graduating medicine-pediatrics resident who demonstrates many of the qualities that were admired in Dr. Tunnessen. Recognizing Dr. Tunnessen’s dedication and gifts as an educator, clinician, and advocate for children. The award is presented to the recipient’s Program Director at the MPPDA Annual Meeting, in conjunction with Academic Internal Medicine Week or the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Spring Meeting.

Nomination Criteria

• The nominee must be a fourth-year med-peds program resident.
• The nominee must demonstrate qualities and accomplishments in the following areas:
• Education: the resident should be recognized by faculty, peers, and students as an excellent teacher and role model.
• Clinical Care: the resident should demonstrate compassion, altruism, and outstanding communication skills with patients and families.
• Advocacy: the resident should show awareness of the impact that the larger community has on the health of children and adults, and should show evidence of advocacy on behalf of patients or the larger community.
• The nominee must not be the recipient of an MPPDA award in the past three award years.

Submission Requirements

All submissions are completed online and require:

• Responses to award nomination criteria questions, which are based on the award’s nomination criteria.
• Upload of the nominee’s CV or resume. Please consider highlighting the sections that illustrate the nominee’s qualifications for the specific award.

Selection Process

• The nomination is reviewed, evaluated, and selected by the MPPDA Executive Committee. The evaluation and selection of the nominee is based on the responses to the award nomination criteria questions and the nominee’s CV or resume.