Exemplary Teaching Awards for Medical Education
Recognizing outstanding teaching skills, educational programs and teaching models.
Full-time/Part-time faculty: Nomination of a full-time or part-time family physician who holds a regular faculty appointment, and teaches and practices exclusively in an academic setting.
Volunteers: Nomination of a family physician who does not practice in an academic setting but engages in volunteer teaching activities.
These awards are longer presented at Congress of Delegates.
Nomination form
All nominations must be submitted via the online form per category by February 15, 2026, to be eligible for consideration.
Nominations due
February 15, 2027
Selection criteria and nomination requirements
The nominees for the AAFP Exemplary Teaching Awards for Medical Education will be evaluated based upon the following criteria:
- Recognized for exemplary teaching skills and outstanding progression of abilities over several years by medical students, residents, or peers for Medical Education; or
- Developed and implemented innovative curriculum, teaching model(s), or program(s) in a variety of educational spheres for Medical Education; and
- Must be a current member of the AAFP.
Previous winners of the Thomas W. Johnson Award for Career Contributions to Family Medicine Education ARE NOT eligible to receive the Exemplary Teaching Awards for Medical Education.
Past award recipients
| Year | Full time | Part time | Volunteer |
| 1997 | Ken Grauer, MD | Thomas M. Davis, MD | Paul R. Palmer, MD |
| 1998 | Jeanette E. South-Paul, MD | Eric R. Evans, MD | Charles Stephens, MD |
| 1999 | Kevin S. Ferentz, MD | Ellsworth C. Seeley, MD | Diane Nightengale, MD |
| 2000 | Mark Deutchman, MD | Mary K. Robinson, MD | Ronald Brown, MD Jonathan H. Rosen, MD |
| 2001 | Edward T. Bope, MD | Francesca Taylor, MD | Terry R. Lowe, MD C. Joseph O’Donnell, DO |
| 2002 | Janice E. Daugherty, MD | Pepi Granat, MD | Dennis L. Peterson, MD |
| 2003 | Penny Tenzer, MD | Cathy P. Carpenter, MD | Steven D. Penner, MD |
| 2004 | Wanda C. Gonsalves, MD | William N. Mebane III, MD | Daniel R. Spogen, MD |
| 2005 | Kathleen M. Macken, MD | Michael Machen, MD | David McRay, MD Larry Anderson, MD |
| 2006 | Phillip M. Diller, MD | Martha Illige, MD Ann M. Aring, MD |
George Mogill, MD |
| Year | Full time and/or part time | Volunteer |
| 2007 | Elizabeth G. Baxley, MD | Richard Levandowski, MD |
| 2008 | Reid B. Blackwelder, MD | Cathy Woodring, MD |
| 2009 | Randall L. Longenecker, MD | Barbara S. Coats, MD |
| 2010 | Gary I. Levine, MD | Larry B. Coleman, MD Betty DeLacey Coleman, MD |
| 2011 | Samuel W. Cullison, MD | David Netherton, MD |
| 2012 | Masahiro Morikawa, MD | Mary Beth Miller, MD |
| 2013 | W. Fred Miser, MD | Paul E. Van Gorp, MD |
| 2014 | Dennis L. Gingrich, MD | Randall V. Goering, MD |
| 2015 | Douglas C. Wooley, MD | Alisha T. Thomas, MD |
| 2016 | Cynthia L. Haq, MD | Adrian Billings, MD |
| 2017 | John R. Brill, MD | Stephen W. Hawks, DO |
| 2018 | Cynthia Waickus, MD | Todd A Miller, MD |
| 2019 | Jonathan L. Temte, MD | Chrisette M. Dharmagunaratne, MD |
| 2020 | Steven Brown, MD | Edward Lind, MD |
| 2021 | Andrea Anderson, MD | Shelly L. Gruenbacher, MD |
| 2022 | Frederick Anderson, MD | Donna Logan, MD |
| 2023 | Gretchen M. Irwin, MD | Mark Leiker, MD |
| 2024 | Phillip Brown, MD | Michael J. Petrizzi, MD |
| 2025 | Corey Lyon, DO |