Alumni Affairs

Distinguished Alumnus Award

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is given annually to honor a graduate “whose distinguished career and unselfish contributions to society have enhanced the prestige of West Virginia University School of Medicine and, in his/her own special way, has helped to upgrade the quality of health care.” The award was established in 1984 by the Executive Council of the West Virginia University School of Medicine Alumni Association and was revised in 1995 and 2021. The selection is made by the WVU School of Medicine Alumni Association Awards Committee.

Award criteria: 

A candidate must be a graduate (MD or PhD) of the West Virginia University School of Medicine (living or posthumous) whose career has been distinguished by scholarly achievement, humanitarian contribution, and/or outstanding service to the institution. This award honors a single outstanding accomplishment, or a lifetime of merit with national or international recognition.

Nomination process and deadline: 

School of Medicine alumni and faculty are encouraged to nominate individuals for this award by completing the online form at medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/alumni. Nominations for the current year must be submitted by January 31. However, nominations can be submitted at any time throughout the year and will be accepted on a rolling basis. If a nomination is received after the above deadline, it will be rolled into the next year's nomination cycle.

  1. Complete the following:
    • Required nomination form
    • One nomination letter focusing on the nominee’s accomplishments/outstanding service
    • Nominee’s abbreviated curriculum vitae (limit 20 pages)
  2. Additional letters of recommendation are welcomed (maximum of 3), but not required.
  3. Submit information - online submission is preferred. Option: You may submit information as a Word document or PDF via email the Alumni Office at alumni@hsc.wvu.edu
  1. Incomplete or late nominations received after the deadline will not be considered for the current year and will be automatically saved for review during next year.
  2. Nominations will be kept and reviewed for a period of 3 years for consideration. Updated material may be submitted to the Awards Committee.
  3. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
  4. All decisions by the Awards Committee are final.

Award:

Recipient will receive an engraved plaque.

Notification:

Recipient will be notified by the chair of the Awards Committee in sufficient time for him/her to be honored at the WVU School of Medicine Alumni Weekend event held each fall.