Harvard Medical School
The Richard A. Gillis Award for Excellence in Medical Education is given to those who exemplify the standards of excellence of the MD program at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Catherine (Kate) Hodgins, Senior Curriculum Manager for the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) program, recently received the Richard A. Gillis Award for Excellence in Medical Education, from Harvard Medical School (HMS).
HMS annually bestows teaching awards on its most outstanding teachers, who, through their excellence in teaching, will impact and influence the professional lives of students long after graduation. The awards presented at the Daniel D. Federman Teaching Award Celebration are HMS's most visible recognition of the teaching accomplishments of a highly select group of the School's leading medical educators and reflect, in a small but tangible way, how much teachers are valued by their students and by HMS.
The Richard A. Gillis Award for Excellence in Medical Education was established in 2012 in memory of Rick Gillis (1953-2011), Executive Director of Curriculum Programs, whose 27 years of contributions to the MD program at Harvard Medical School exemplify the standards of excellence and the work ethic he inspired in those who were privileged to know him and to work with him. The award is given to a member or members of the HMS staff for their outstanding contributions to the educational mission of the School. This award serves as a reminder of Rick’s legacy and the critical role of staff in facilitating, in the words of his hero, President John F. Kennedy, “the infinite potential of the human mind that can be realized through education … [and that] can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our Nation.”
According to a write-up on the HMS website: Kate Hodgins joined the HST staff in 2018 after serving as Program Administrator for the BBS PhD program at HMS for nearly 18 years. A major component of her responsibilities in HST is managing the 2nd-year HST ICM course held at BWH and HMS. She was nominated for the Gillis Award by HST faculty, staff and students. Her nominators lauded her for her “flair, enthusiasm, and good humor” in organization of the ICM course; for being “THE singular central glue that held HST together this past year; almost single-handedly, she kept the "trains running on time" (indeed, ahead of schedule), ensured that nothing slipped through the cracks, and on-boarded a new program coordinator, as well as a new Director of Administration” following the departures of Patty Cunningham and Karrol Altarejos; for being “an open ear and willing listener to students, able to present their concerns and issues to other staff, faculty and program leadership in a manner which improves the communication, enhances the relationships among the different groups and always works to improve the education and experience for students”; and for her willingness “to help out members of the community, including faculty, students, and fellow staff members” among her many and far-reaching contributions to HST students, faculty and staff. We all also very much appreciate how much Kate went above and beyond, coming to campus during the pandemic to insure the ICM course was organized and conducted for the 2nd-year HST students.
* Originally published on the Harvard Medical School website.