Mark Juzych, M.D., M.H.S.A., associate dean for Graduate Medical Education for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has received the 2010 Palmer Courage to Lead Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

The ACGME presents the award annually to three outstanding designated institutional officers, the officials responsible for directing all graduate medical education activities at a sponsoring institution. The award is named after Parker J. Palmer, Ph.D., who wrote “The Courage to Teach” and other books on teaching.

Dr. Juzych received the award at the 2010 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, held March 4-7 in Nashville, Tenn.

"The award is really a reflection of the entire institution," Dr. Juzych said. "It reaffirms the hard work of the program directors, faculty, residents and the GME office."

Those who nominated Dr. Juzych for the award noted his willingness to take difficult stands to benefit residents, his “strong leadership” and his guiding principle of “doing what is best for the resident (or program), then everything else will fall into place.”

In 2005, Dr. Juzych, a professor and associate chair of Ophthalmology for the School of Medicine and the Kresge Eye Institute, received the ACGME’s Palmer Courage to Teach Award, which honors outstanding program directors.

The ACGME is a private, non-profit organization that accredits 8,700 residency programs in 127 specialties and subspecialties that educate 109,000 residents.