The UVA Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation presents the following awards annually to medical students at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Service Awards

The following awards required an application from student candidates in order to be considered:

Maxwell C. Feinman, MD, Class of 1954 Community Service Award: Established by the Class of 1954 and presented annually to a fourth year UVA medical student who has performed outstanding community service in the Charlottesville area, including surrounding counties. Determination of the award recipient is based on the quantity and quality of service and the student’s impact on the community. Learn more.

Class of 1967 Joseph F. Smiddy, MD Altruism Award: The Class of 1967 established this award in recognition of the lifelong service of their classmate, Joseph F. Smiddy, MD. Beginning in 2020, the award will be presented to a fourth-year medical student who has demonstrated selfless service to the medically underserved. Recipients will be chosen for displaying reasonable self-sacrifice and generosity in serving others. Learn more.

Class of 2012 John Edward Jones Memorial Award: The John Edward Jones Memorial Award was endowed by the School of Medicine Class of 2012 to honor the memory of their classmate who died in a tragic caving accident during his second year at UVA. This scholarship award recognizes outstanding medical students entering their third year of medical school who have demonstrated leadership efforts to eliminate health care inequalities and to address the educational, health care and societal needs of minorities in the US. Learn more.

Awards by Clerkship or Area of Interest

The following awards are selected by the School of Medicine or a committee:

Herbert R. Farber Award: This award is presented annually to a student who excels on the internal medicine clerkship and also demonstrates excellence in athletics or in the fine or performing arts. The award honors Herbert R. Farber, MD, who graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1940. His outside interests included accomplishments in both sports and the fine arts.

Richard W. Lindsay Award in Geriatrics: This award recognizes excellence during the geriatric clerkship rotation. The award is named in honor of Richard W. Lindsay, MD, an emeritus professor of UVA’s Department of Internal Medicine and Family Practice. He served as head of the Division and Section of Geriatrics from 1977 until his retirement in 1999. During this time, he had an active practice of geriatric medicine involving all levels of geriatric care.

Gratton Alexander Litz Award: This award was established in memory of Gratton Alexander Litz, III, known as Alex, who graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1983. He continued his training in internal medicine at the University of Alabama, where he won the award for the outstanding medical resident. He had been selected to become chief resident in that program, when his career and his life were tragically cut short by cancer which resulted in his death on November 2, 1986. Criteria for the Litz Award, so strongly manifested by Alex himself, include: excellent clinical skills; outstanding ability to interact with patients on a personal level; zest and enthusiasm for the clerkship; an eagerness to learn; a good sense of humor; evidence of being a well-rounded person.

Patricia F. and Garrett E. Ruhl Psychiatry Award: This award recognizes excellence during the psychiatry clerkship and a demonstrated commitment to entering the field of psychiatry. The Ruhl Family, including alumna Parker Ruhl, MD ’06, established this endowed award in memory of their mother, Patricia, who died in June 2021 and in honor of their father, Col. (Ret.) Garrett E. Ruhl. The fund was established to support mental health education in medical training at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Additional Student Awards

The following awards are selected by the School of Medicine, a committee, or the UVA Medical Alumni Association:

Bowman Award: Each year since 1978, the Bowman Award has been presented to a fourth-year medical student at UVA who demonstrates the spirit and ideals with which Dick Bowman, MD ’74, impressed his fellow students, physicians, family and friends during his relatively short lifetime. Dr. Bowman died tragically in May 1977 as the result of a sailing accident in upstate New York.

Collaborative Learning Awards: These awards are given to a select number of students at the end of the 18 month pre-clerkship period and recognize and reward students identified by their peers as being most helpful to others in situations requiring problem solving, active listening and cooperative learning. The awards are announced during Transition Week.

Outstanding Student Award: This award is presented annually to a member of the graduating class who has made unique and tangible contributions to the University of Virginia School of Medicine and to the Medical Alumni Association.

Is there a future doctor in your house? Let us know, and the UVA Medical Alumni Association will send you a free VMED baby bib.

This offer is available to alumni, current and former trainees, and medical students at the UVA School of Medicine.

Request a bib

The UVA Medical Alumni Association is proud to support students at the UVA School of Medicine with practical gifts, including:

• An embroidered white coat for incoming MD students. This gift is endowed by the Class of 1965.
• New in 2024: A toolkit for MD students, including a stethoscope (partially funded by the Class of 1963), blood pressure cuff, tuning fork and reflex hammer.
• An embroidered lab coat for first-year students in UVA’s Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) Graduate Program.

These gifts are made possible thanks to alumni support of the Annual Fund.

The UVA Medical Alumni Association sponsors more than 80 events a year, including the White Coat Ceremony (endowed by the Class of 1965), Family Day, BIMS Lab Coat Ceremony, a Match Day breakfast, and more.

Check out our calendar for our current list of events for students

Throughout the year, we offer opportunities for students to connect with alumni to learn from their career experience. These include our alumni speaker series, one-on-one mentoring programs, and student-alumni networking where fourth-year students can gather information from alumni about residency programs they’re considering.

Learn more

 

The UVA Medical Alumni Association administers the following funds and reimbursements to current medical students at UVA. For more information, please click on the links below.

Funds

• Reed Fund for Psychiatric Care: Funds are available for any medical student in need of outpatient psychiatric care. This service is provided at no cost and is strictly confidential. Learn more.

Reimbursements

Current medical students may be eligible to receive reimbursements for conference-related expenses as well as travel to/from the UVA Medical Center after hours.

• Conference Expense Reimbursement Request: Current UVA medical students may apply for need-based (as defined by the Financial Aid Office) reimbursement of expenses up to a maximum of $700 related to attending medical conferences. These reimbursements will be provided by the UVA Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation. Reimbursements will be reported to the School of Medicine’s Office of Financial Aid and included in financial aid packages. Learn more.
• Medical Student Safe Travel Reimbursement: The UVA Medical Alumni Association will provide reimbursements to any medical student who needs to travel from home to the UVA Medical Center prior to the first run of the UTS inner loop at 7:30 a.m. Learn more.

Through the generous support of alumni, the UVA Medical Alumni Association provided more than $2.75 million last year in scholarship funds to students at the UVA School of Medicine. These scholarships are administered by the School of Medicine’s Financial Aid Office, which matches student recipients with available scholarships.

Student representatives from both the MD and BIMS programs report to the MAA’s Board of Directors. These positions are appointed by the Mulholland Society and Graduate Biosciences Society and provide valuable feedback and insights into the needs of the current student body to ensure that the MAA continues to provide relevant and impactful support.

The MAA works closely with the Mulholland Society to manage online sales of VMed merchandise. All proceeds benefit the Mulholland Society at the UVA School of Medicine.

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