Jeffrey S. Akman, MD ’81, RESD ’85, vice president for health affairs, Walter A. Bloedorn Professor of Administrative Medicine, and dean of the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), was one of three recipients of the 43rd Annual George Washington Award during Commencement ceremonies on the National Mall May 19.
The award, presented by the Joint Committee of Faculty and Students, recognizes those who have made exceptional contributions to the university in one or more of four objectives: developing students’ abilities to their fullest; providing for superior instruction and facilities; providing a balanced program of student extracurricular activities; or making use of GW’s historical, geographical, and functional relationship to the nation’s capital and the Washington, D.C., community.
Akman’s many accomplishments since taking leadership of SMHS include the creation of the GW Cancer Center, the GW Transplant Institute, and the Dermatology Residency Program. Akman also led a revision of the MD program’s curriculum, incorporating new technologies, interprofessional learning, and novel educational modalities. He created a new Office of Diversity and Inclusion tasked with developing strategic initiatives and identifying diversity opportunities in faculty development, academics, and research. Akman also invested significant school resources in an effort to reduce the student debt load and raise money for scholarships. In January 2019, Akman announced that, after more than eight years as vice president for health affairs at GW and dean of SMHS, he would step aside following the completion of a national search for his successor.
