Larner College of Medicine

Professionalism Week

Professionalism Week celebrates our commitment to living the tenets of integrity, accountability, compassion, altruism, social responsibility, cultural humility, kindness, and respect across every facet of the Larner College of Medicine. This year’s celebration is May 4–8, 2026.

This year’s Professionalism Week focuses on the tenet of altruism. Members of the College of Medicine Community including faculty, staff and students are invited to send a postcard to someone at the college who embodies the ideals of professionalism. Professionalism postcards will be available throughout the week in the Given Courtyard starting on May 4.

2026 Professionalism Week Schedule

Tuesday, May 5

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5:00 p.m., Hoehl Gallery - Event and Reception: “The Gift Revealed: Art, Observation, and Gratitude,” a conversation with local artist Mary Lacy

The humanities play a central role in supporting medical professionalism by cultivating the moral, relational, and reflective capacities that shape physicians’ professional identities. Through engagement with literature, ethics, history, the arts, and social sciences, humanities education fosters kindness, compassion, altruism, accountability, respect, integrity, social responsibility, and cultural humility by promoting ethical reflection, attentiveness to lived experience, and critical awareness of social and cultural contexts of care.

Join the Arts@Larner for an event that brings together art, storytelling, and reflection on the role of observation and gratitude in professional and personal development. The evening begins with an informal reception and art viewing, featuring a new piece by Mary Lacy and student-created vases in honor of anatomic donors and inspired by messages from their families. 

The program will include an interactive discussion on the “Art of Observation” led by Jeremiah Dickerson. A student panel then reflects on the impact of participating in the project, followed by an in-depth interview with artist Mary Lacy, who shares insights into her creative process, including her engagement with students and families and the development of the featured artwork. 

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Muralist and mosaic artist Mary Lacy (Photo: David Seaver)

Wednesday, May 6

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12:00–1:00 p.m., Sullivan Classroom: “Professionalism During Tumultuous Times,” keynote presented by Dr. Richard Schwartzstein, Harvard Medical School

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Dr. Richard Schwartzstein is the Ellen and Melvin Gordon Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at Harvard Medical School (HMS), and chief emeritus of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). A graduate of Princeton University and HMS, Dr. Schwartzstein has been an active clinical educator and has pursued both physiological and educational research since he came to the HMS faculty more than 30 years ago. 

At the outset of his clinical career, Schwartzstein’s research focused on the relationship of basic physiological mechanisms of breathing and respiratory sensations with dyspnea (shortness of breath). His pioneering work helped illuminate the association of qualitative descriptors used by patients to describe their breathing discomfort and physiological mechanisms underlying their disease. 

Schwartzstein became executive director of the Shapiro Institute for Education and Research at HMS and BIDMC and vice president for education at BIDMC in 2004. His textbook, Respiratory Physiology: A Clinical Approach, received a national award for its interactive style. He is the recipient of multiple HMS and national teaching awards, including the Robert J. Glaser award of the AAMC and the Outstanding Educator Award of the American Thoracic Society, as well as the Jane F. Desforges Distinguished Teacher Award from the American College of Physicians.

His education research focuses on the development of pedagogical approaches to enhance analytical reasoning, techniques to maximize the benefits of small-group teaching, and assessment of the role of simulation in medical education. Most recently, he has been addressing the shortcomings of artificial intelligence as a means for analyzing clinical problems.

Friday, May 8

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On the final day of Professionalism Week, we celebrate all nominees and award recipients by featuring them on social media and digital screens.

2:00–2:30 p.m., Sullivan Classroom: Awards Presentation 

2:30–4:00 p.m., Hoehl Gallery: Reception & Food Drive to Benefit Rally Cat’s Cupboard

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A display of 2025 Professionalism awards (Photo: David Seaver)

2025 Award Winners

Javier Rincon

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Winner: Medical Student Award for Professionalism

Brianna Hilton

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Winner: Graduate Student Award for Professionalism 

Rhonda Hanley

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Winner: Staff Award for Professionalism

Dr. Alison Fitzgerald

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Winner: Faculty Award for Professionalism

2025 Professionalism Award Nominees

Faculty Nominees

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Steven Ades, M.D., M.Sc.
Daniel Bak, M.D.
Agnès Balla, M.D.
Jennifer Bamford, M.D.
S. Patrick Bender, M.D.
Stephen Berns, M.D.
Richard Bounds, M.D.
Danielle Brasino, Ph.D.
Lee-Anna Burgess, M.D.
Caleb Doyle-Burr, M.D.
Katharine Cheung, Ph.D., M.D., M.Sc.
Arlene Chung, M.D.
Ben Clements, M.D.
Kathryn (KC) Collier, M.D.
Jessica Crothers, M.D.
Thomas Delaney, M.D.
Alyssa DiCosmo, M.D.
Katherine Dolbec, M.D.
Alison Fitzgerald, M.D., M.S.T.
Jennifer Gage, M.D.
Matthew Geeslin, M.D., M.S.
Paige Georgiadis, M.D.
Kasania Goikhberg, M.D.
Sarah Harm, M.D.
Abigail Hielscher, Ph.D.
Karin Hodge, M.A.
Amelia Hopkins, M.D.
David Johnson, M.D.
Alexandra Kalof, M.D.
David Kaminsky, M.D.
Christopher Kanner, D.O.
Joseph Kennedy, M.D.
Elias Klemperer, Ph.D.
Nicholas Klug, Ph.D.
Erica Lash, M.D. Christina Litsakos, M.D.
Sean Maloney, M.D.
Jacob Martin, Ph.D.
Ashley McCormick, D.O.
Laura McCray, M.D.
Anne Morris, M.D.
Samuel Paskin, M.D.
Sanjeev Patil, M.D.
John Priester, M.D.
Lisa Anne Rasmussen, M.D.
Hibba-Tul Rehman, M.D.
Molly Rideout, M.D.
Princess Rodriguez Ramirez, Ph.D.
John Salogiannis, Ph.D.
Marie Sandoval, M.D.
Samae Scott, M.D.
Muhannad Seyam, M.D.
Dhruv Shah, D.O.
Michael Sheeser, M.D.
Marni Slavik, Ph.D.
Gary Stein, Ph.D.
David Steinmetz, M.D.
Doug Taatjes, Ph.D.
William Tharp, M.D., Ph.D.
Alissa Thomas, M.D.
Brendan Thoms, M.B.B.S.
Eline van den Broek-Altenburg, Ph.D.
Margaret Vizzard, Ph.D.
Waqar Waheed, M.D.
Kramer Wahlberg, M.D.
Brian Waldschmidt, M.D.
John Wax, M.D.
Ashley Weisman, M.D.
Jim Whitledge, M.D.
Dan Wolfson, M.D.
Beth Zigmund, M.D.

Staff Nominees

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Gretchen Argraves
Nausheen Azhar
Petra Bajuk
Megan Bartlett
Carolyn Bernegger, M.Ed.
Amanda Broder
Margaret Butler, NP
Ryan Byerley
Colleen Case
Rajan Chawla
Elaine Cornell
James Court
Rene Cusick
Tiffany Delaney, M.A.Ed.
Liz Dohrman
Meghan Farrington
Marlene Frank
Hannah Frering, M.P.H.
Erica Frey-Delaportas
Christine Gallese, M.P.A
Teremy Garen
Rhonda Hanley
Ann Howard
Lindsey Hullfish
Cary Jewkes, M.Ed.
Bruce Kimball
Justine King
Miles Lamberson, M.M.S.’24
Kim Luebbers, M.S.H.S.
Shirley McAdam
Michelle McKay
Laura Merriam, M.S.H.S.
Leigh Meyerhardt
Marian Miller
Daniel Mills
Amy Morrill
Brenda Nelson
Lejla Pasic
Susan Platania
Anna Raymond
Susan Richardson, Ph.D.
Sarah Ringler, M.S.
Christine Rogers
Lee Rosen, Ph.D.
Kelsey Sadewicz
Casey Spencer
Jake Spiegler
Karmen Swim
Kiersten Tavares, M.Ed.
Jason Towsley
Allyson Turner
Sunday Whipkey
Gretchen White
Lisa Wilda

Graduate Student Nominees

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Shahriar Akhavan Tafti
Zac Clark
Brittany Drath
Brianna Hilton
Amalia Sanches

Medical Student Nominees

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Haley Bayne
Ty Bever
John (Jackson) Burke
Avery Campbell
Bradford Clark
Vyha Do
Hannah Donovan
Heather Giguere
Shubhankar Joshi
Kristin Karpowicz
Thomas Khodadad
Christina Kirk
Ben Koren
Jasmine Macias
Noah Manz
Tyler McGuire
Angela Mueller
Chellie Nayar
Brian Nguyen
Tin Nguyen
Javier Rincon
Andrew Root
Ben Rubin
Angela Russo
Shruthi Santhanakrishnan
Adam Thompson
Lauren Tien
Dario Vanegas
Evie Wakeman
Abigail Wootton
Sarah Young