- The Power of Professionalism Award
- The PEAR Award
- Ben and Margaret Love Foundation Bobby Alford Award for Academic Clinical Professionalism
- Clark Faculty Service Award
Several clinical and basic science departments have created their own awards acknowledging professionalism. If your department is interested in establishing a professionalism award and if you feel that the Center for Professionalism can be of assistance, please feel free to reach out to the Center by emailing us at professionalismmatters@bcm.
POP Award: The Power of Professionalism Award
About the Award
The Center for Professionalism recognizes the positive actions of students, residents, fellows, post-docs, faculty and any member of our support staff or administration, through the Power of Professionalism Award.
We are looking for Baylor community members who demonstrate exemplary professionalism: attitudes and behaviors that cultivate competence and connection through positive, respectful and trustworthy relationships.
Examples of exemplary professional behavior may include compassionate communication with colleagues, patients or families; going above and beyond to support team members; and recognizing and respecting differing viewpoints.
Nomination Process
To nominate someone for the POP award, using the award's online submission form write a brief paragraph of 250 words or less that describes why you think that your candidate exemplifies the best of Baylor professionalism. Describe a specific episode that you observed or the characteristics of professionalism that you have noted in the nominee. The nomination must describe a specific example of the nominee demonstrating professionalism.
Nominations can be submitted by any member of the BCM community. Be sure to include the name and contact information for your nominee.
If you receive a login challenge, use your BCM email address and password to access the Power of Professionalism Award Nomination form.
POP Award Recipients
The PEAR Award
About the Award
The PEAR (Professional Educator Appreciation and Recognition initiative) was created to recognize mentors who have had a significant impact on students during their medical training. The award seeks to highlight and reinforce positive examples of professionalism and teaching; it focuses on collecting the positive stories from the student experience.
Nomination Process
Any Baylor student can nominate preclinical faculty, attending physicians, residents, physician assistants, nurses and others on the medical team who have challenged them, expanded their knowledge or imparted a significant lesson. Submissions are shared with the award recipient and his or her department chair. Students can submit nominations online. PEAR Awards are supported by the Center for Professionalism.
PEAR Awards are supported by the Center for Professionalism, led by Dr. Ellen Friedman.
PEAR Award Recipients
Ben and Margaret Love Foundation Bobby Alford Award for Academic Clinical Professionalism
About the Award
The Ben and Margaret Love Foundation Bobby Alford Award for Academic Clinical Professionalism recognizes a physician at the College for professionalism and humanism, and the recipient's ability to model these qualities in the practice of medicine. The award requires evidence of professional behavior and humanism within Baylor College of Medicine. Strength of the candidate's accomplishments should be demonstrated through:
- Providing patient care that inspires learners and others to perform above and beyond the call of dut
- Organizing patient care
- Creating opportunities or organizations that provide service to vulnerable or special needs populations
- Providing leadership or extending service to organizations that serve vulnerable or special needs populations
- Educating healthcare professionals who provide services with limited resources
- Advocacy for underserved or other populations
Additional contributions beyond Baylor College of Medicine, regionally, nationally, and internationally in any of those areas will be viewed as complementary to the service at BCM.
Nomination Process
The opportunity to nominate a candidate for this award is limited to chairs, center directors, deans and those at the highest level of leadership at the College or its affiliated institutions. Candidates are considered for their qualities of professionalism in patient care, clinical research and/or education as well as humanism (altruism, caring, compassion, empathy, cultural sensitivity, and respect for the dignity of others). The nominee must be a full-time or part-time faculty or voluntary faculty physician with a Baylor appointment, be in good standing at Baylor and have contributed to the institution for five or more years.
The chair/leader is asked to submit two documents to nominate a faculty member by DATE TBD. The following documents should be provided as email attachments (PDF or MS Word) to Debbie Fernandez:
- One- to two-page summary supporting the nominee, including the merit of the nominee's professionalism and humanistic characteristics and achievements, highlighting those manifested within Baylor College of Medicine.
- Love portfolio
Those faculty members chosen for final consideration will be invited to submit a curriculum vitae and further documentation to the Selection Committee. The award winner receives a trophy and a $5,000 honorarium. The award is presented on Awards Day in May 2026.
This award is co-administered by the Office of Faculty Development and the Center for Professionalism. Contact Debbie Fernandez at (713) 798-7285 for more information.
Past Awardees
- 2025: Dr. Gordon Schutze
- 2024: Dr. Michael A. Belfort
- 2024: Dr. Seema Lalani
- 2023: Dr. George Robert Parkerson, III
- 2022: Dr. John Coverdale
- 2021: Dr. Sophia Banu
- 2020: Dr. Fareed Khan
- 2019: Dr. Biykem Bozkurt
- 2018: Dr. Daryl A. Scott
- 2017: Dr. Barbara Trautner
- 2016: Dr. Emily Sedgwick
- 2015: Dr. Kent Osborne
- 2014: Dr. George P. Noon
- 2013: Dr. Martha Mims
- 2012: Dr. Cynthia Peacock
- 2011: Dr. Marcia Katz
- 2010: Dr. James Pool
