For achievement in medical education research and scholarship: Recognizes outstanding scholarship on how physicians learn and teach, from curriculum and assessment to professionalism in the educator-learner relationship. 

L. Randol Barker, MD, ScM, MACP, is Professor Emeritus of Medicine and the former Co-Director of GIM at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Dr. Barker's core interests are in how learning occurs in clinical medicine and in the professionalism of the educator-learner relationship. In 2001, he was awarded SGIM’s Award for Career Achievement in Medical Education. 

Joseph Cofrancesco Jr., MD, MPH, is a Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include (adult) internal medicine and HIV/AIDS, and PrEP and PEP. Dr. Cofrancesco serves as the Director at the Institute for Excellence in Education at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

David E. Kern, MD, MPH, MACP, is Professor Emeritus of Medicine and the former Co-Director/Director of GIM at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. He has been a leader in general internal medicine residency training, faculty and curriculum development and communication skills training. He has received many accolades, including awards for his mentorship, his role as a division leader and the 2003 SGIM Award for Career Achievement in Medical Education.

For achievement in evidence-based medicine and systematic reviews: Recognizes rigorous work that synthesizes evidence or evaluates the effectiveness, safety and costs of clinical strategies to improve decision making. 

Eric B. Bass, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine in GIM. His strongest research interests are in evidence-based medicine and assessment of the effectiveness, safety and costs of medical and surgical management strategies. He’s the recipient of numerous awards and currently serves as CEO of the Society of General Internal Medicine.

Karen A. Robinson, PhD, MSc, is Professor of Medicine in GIM. She is an international expert in systematic reviews and conducts research on evidence use in making decisions. She was the 2017 recipient of the Robert L. Kane Memorial Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for her clarity in evidence synthesis.  

Drs. Bass and Robinson are the Co-Directors of The Johns Hopkins University Evidence-Based Practice Center.

For achievement in health equity, health disparities, and behavioral medicine research: Recognizes scholarship that documents and addresses health disparities and advances health equity, including behavioral medicine approaches to improving care. 

Lisa A. Cooper, MD, MPH, is the James F. Fries Professor of Medicine in GIM and holds joint appointments in the Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Nursing. She is the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Equity in Health and Healthcare and in 2020 was named director of the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute. Her pioneering research has sought to document and then address the needs of populations experiencing health disparities.

David M. Levine, MD, ScD, MPH, was a Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University from 1972 to 2022. Dr. Levine’s pioneering work in community-based participatory research helped address health disparities, particularly in cardiovascular disease, and left a legacy in academic medicine and public health. He was a dedicated physician, researcher, mentor and leader who profoundly impacted the field of medicine over the course of his 50-year career.

For achievement in health services, outcomes, and learning health systems research: Recognizes research on how care is delivered and what outcomes patients experience, including comparative effectiveness, drug safety, and learning health system work that turns data into better care.

Daniel E. Ford, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Policy & Management; the former Director of the Johns Hopkins Preventive Medicine Residency and the University Health Service; and served as Vice Dean for Clinical Investigation from 2005-2021. He is the Director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (CTSA award) and the Director of the Johns Hopkins PCORNet program.  His research focuses on testing new interventions for primary care practice as well as comparative effectiveness studies for cardiovascular disease.

Jodi B. Segal, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine, Health Policy & Management and Epidemiology. She has been a national leader in comparative effectiveness research and developed the first course offered in the U.S. in the field. Her research interests include pharmacoepidemiology and health care overutilization. At Hopkins, she is an Associate Director of the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research and co-directs the Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness. She is a fellow of the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology and the American College of Physicians; and serves as a deputy editor of Annals of Internal Medicine. 

For achievement in health care communication research and bioethics research: Recognizes scholarship on how clinicians and patients communicate, including informed consent, respect, empathy, and trust in the patient–clinician relationship, and on ethical questions in medicine and research.

Mary Catherine Beach, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine in GIM and a core faculty member of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. She is a nationally recognized leader in bioethics and health communication research, with a focus on respect, empathy and trust in the patient–clinician relationship. In recognition of her achievements and her long-standing leadership in the field, GIM renamed this award in 2025 to honor Dr. Beach and her enduring contributions to advancing ethical and equitable care.

Jeremy Sugarman, MD, MPH, MA, is the Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Bioethics and Medicine and Professor of Medicine and Health Policy Management and the Deputy Director for Medicine in the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Dr. Sugarman is Chair of the Ethics Working Group of the HIV Prevention Trials Network, Co-Lead of the Ethics and Regulatory Core of the NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory and Co-Chair of the Johns Hopkins Institutional Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee. Dr. Sugarman conducts both theoretical and empirical research in bioethics. He is renowned for his work on informed consent, research ethics, and the ethical issues associated with emerging technologies.

For achievement in palliative care research and scholarship: Recognizes scholarship that improves care for people living with serious illness and their families. 

Thomas J. Smith, MD, is a Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, retired Director of Palliative Medicine for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and is Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Smith is a renowned medical oncologist and palliative care specialist with a lifelong interest in better symptom management, communication, and improving access to high-quality affordable care. Dr. Smith has devoted his career to bettering clinical care, education, research, policy, and national guideline development, helping transform symptom management into multidisciplinary palliative care across health care settings.