UMSOM's Dr. Robert Ferguson Receives Prestigious Dema C. Daley Founders Award for Academic Leadership in Internal Medicine

Awarded by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine to Recognize Top Educator, Innovator, Leader

Robert Ferguson, MD, MACP, Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and Director of the UMSOM Professionalism Enhancement Initiative, has been awarded the 2018 Dema C. Daley Founders Award by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM).

The honor is given to a member of the internal medicine community who is recognized nationally as an educator, innovator, and leader.  The award is presented annually during Academic Internal Medicine Week.

More than eight years ago, Dr. Ferguson implemented a new online Journal, the Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives (JCHIMP), which serves as a forum for disseminating information particularly relevant to the community hospitals. JCHIMP's target audience includes medical professionals interested in the unique medical dilemmas facing community hospitals.

“The Journal has been overwhelmingly successful and has published close to 500 articles thus far,” said Mel Blanchard, MD, Program Director in Internal Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, in presenting the award.   “Dr. Ferguson is certainly more than deserving of this prestigious award. Kudos to you, Dr. Ferguson!”

In 2003, the award was dedicated to Dema C. Daley by the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM), which later became part of AAIM.  Ms. Daley served as APDIM Executive Director from 1987 to 2000; recognizing her contributions, the APDIM Council promoted her to Executive Vice President in 2001, a position she held until her death in July 2002. During her 15 years as the association’s leader, Ms. Daley helped APDIM become “the preeminent professional organization in graduate medical education noted for its promotion of excellence and innovation in leadership and educational methodologies.”

In selecting a recipient, predominant attention is given to a candidate’s contributions that have influenced areas of undergraduate and graduate medical education and the development of training programs in internal medicine, AAIM, or other organizations that are educationally focused.

In addition to serving as Treasurer for the American College of Physicians over the past 20 years, Dr. Ferguson is currently leading the UMSOM Professionalism Enhancement Initiative.

“We are honored to have a recognized leader in academic medicine such as Dr. Ferguson working with us,” said E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, UMSOM.  “He has served the internal medicine community over many years, and is having a significant impact in his current role at UMSOM.”

Dr. Ferguson received his BA degree from Cornell University and his MD Degree from Cornell University Medical College.  His post-graduate training included an internship and Assistant Residency at North Shore University Hospital, New York, and Chief Residency in Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in Hartford, CT.

“This is truly a great honor for me,” said Dr. Ferguson, noting that he has been a member of APDIM for 36 years.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Commemorating its 210^th Anniversary, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 43 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished recipient of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research.  With an operating budget of more than $1 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically-based care for more than 1.2 million patients each year. The School has over 2,500 students, residents, and fellows, and nearly $450 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total workforce of nearly 7,000 individuals. The combined School and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact in excess of $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8^th-highest public medical school in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu/

About the APDIM (Now Part of AAIM)

Founded in 1977, APDIM is the international organization of accredited internal medicine residency programs; the association represents program directors, associate and assistant program directors, core faculty, program administrators and coordinators, fellowship coordinators, and other key faculty and staff involved in the internal medicine residency program.