Nominations for the MAA's annual awards are accepted from MAA members, and recipients are selected by the MAA Board's Nominating and Awards Committee.
Nominations may be made at any time. Individuals may be honored as recipients only once in each award category, and awards are presented to living nominees only.
- Distinguished Achievement Award
Honors an alumna/us or house staff alumna/us who has distinguished him/herself in the profession of medicine. - Distinguished Faculty Award
Honors a current or former faculty member for outstanding contributions to Wake Forest University School of Medicine. - Distinguished Service Award
Honors an alumnus, house staff alumnus or a non-alumnus for outstanding contributions to Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Wake Forest Baptist Health, the community and/or the practice of medicine. - Student Excellence Award
Honors a graduating student whose peers believe best demonstrates the qualities needed to become the model of a complete physician—knowledge, compassion and dedication.
2025 Award Recipients
Distinguished Achievement
Ann Fleming Beach, MD ’79, House Staff ’82
Distinguished Faculty
Bayard L. Powell, MD, House Staff ’86
Distinguished Service
The Honorable Donny C. Lambeth, MBA
Len B. Preslar Jr., MBA
MAA Student Excellence
Nathaniel O. Walcott, MD ’25, MS ’17
Past recipients of the MAA Distinguished Awards
William H. Admirand, MD ’60 *
Wilbur S. Avant Jr., MD ’67 *
George C. Barrett, MD ’52 *
Ann Fleming Beach, MD ’79, House Staff ’82
José Biller, MD, House Staff ’81
Richard E. Bird, MD ‘65
H. Worth Boyce Jr., MD ’55 *
Byron G. Brogdon, MD, House Staff ’56 *
Haywood L. Brown, MD ’78
William T. Carpenter Jr., MD ’62
M. Robert Cooper, MD ’62 *
William Cowan, MD '57, House Staff ' 62 *
John M. Driscoll Jr., MD ’62 *
David M. Drylie, MD ’56 *
James C. Eisenach, MD, House Staff ’86
Carolyn R. Ferree, MD ’70
Bruce L. Flamm, MD '79
James S. Forrester Sr., MD ’62 *
Gloria F. Graham, MD ’61 * and James H. Graham, MD *
Paul P. Griffin, MD ’53 *
William N.P. Herbert, MD ’72
E. Garland Herndon Jr., MD ’46 *
David Lowell Heymann, MD ’70
David P. Huston, MD ’73
Wayne B. Jonas, MD ’81
James G. Jones, MD ’59 *
M. Stephen Ledbetter, MD '92, MPH
Joseph J. Mamlin, MD ’62
Thomas H. Marshburn, MD ’89
C. Douglas Maynard, MD ’59
David L. McCullough, MD ’64 *
William M. McKinney, MD *
J. Wayne Meredith, MD ’78, House Staff ’84
John R. Nelson III, MD '85, MHM
W. Harold Newman, MD‘56
Godfrey P. Oakley, MD ’65
John A. Oates Jr., MD ’56 *
S. Scott Obenshain, MD ’62
Richard B. Odom, MD ’63
J. Kiffin Penry, MD ’55 *
George Podgorny, MD ’62 *
Robert H. Shackelford, MD ’47 *
Roger E. Stevenson, MD ‘66
Julian R. Taylor, MD ’69
John M. Tew Jr., MD ’61
Spencer P. Thornton, MD ’54 *
Daniel L. Tolan, MD ’85
Patricia L. Turner, MD '96, MBA
J.E. "Betsy" Tuttle, MD '88
Paul D. Webster III, MD ’56 *
Louis Weinstein, MD '72
Joseph E. Whitley, MD ’55 *
* Indicates that the individual is deceased.
Jon S. Abramson, MD ‘76
Patricia L. Adams, MD ’74
Eben Alexander Jr., MD *
Louis C. Argenta, MD, FACS
Walter E. Bo, PhD *
Charles L. Branch Jr., MD, House Staff ’87
M. Robert Cooper, MD ’62 *
A. Robert Cordell, MD, House Staff ’56 *
Julia Margarita Cruz, MD, House Staff ’81
Marcus M. Gulley, MD ‘51 *
William R. Hazzard, MD
Robert N. Headley, MD, House Staff ’58
Francis M. James III, MD
Joseph L. Jorizzo, MD
David L. Kelly Jr., MD, House Staff ’65
Brenda Latham-Sadler, MD ’82
Douglas Maynard, MD ’59
Charles E. McCall, MD ’61
Charles E. McCreight, PhD *
William Frederick McGuirt Sr., MD ’68 *
Amy J. McMichael, MD
Jesse H. Meredith, MD, House Staff ’58 *
Isadore Meschan, MD *
Emery C. Miller Jr., MD, House Staff ’54 *
Henry S. Miller Jr., MD ’54 *
Robert P. Morehead, MD *
Richard T. Myers, MD, House Staff ’49 *
Lewis H. Nelson III, MD ’70
K. Patrick Ober, MD, House Staff ’79
Richard B. Patterson, MD ’55, House Staff ’61 *
P. Samuel Pegram Jr., MD ’70
Timothy C. Pennell, MD ’60 *
Patricia H. Petrozza, MD
George W. Plonk Jr., MD '73
Gary Poehling, MD
Bayard L. Powell, MD, House Staff ’86
John Reed, MD '62 *
Edward G. Shaw, MD
Jimmy L. Simon, MD *
M. Madison Slusher, MD *
Charles L. Spurr, MD *
James F. Toole, MD *
Charles S. Turner, MD ‘70
L. Earl Watts, MD ’57 *
Richard G. Weaver Sr., MD, House Staff ’54 *
Ernest H. Yount Jr., MD *
* Indicates that the individual is deceased.
William B. Applegate, MD, MPH, MACP
Alfred Lee Baker, MD '66 *, and Dot Clark Baker (Posthumous)
Steve Block, MBBCh, FAAP
Herbert Brenner *
Richard A. Brenner
Jean Bailey Brooks, MD ’44 *
Albert L. Butler Jr. *
Coy C. Carpenter, MD *
Dorothy M. Carpenter *
MD Class of 1958
Katherine Davis * Thomas H. Davis Sr. *
Howard G. Dawkins Jr., MD ’68
Sister Dennis Eileen *
Caryl J. Guth, MD ’62
Ann S. Hanes
Thomas K. Hearn Jr., PhD *
Sandra G. High
Thomas M. Holder, MD ’52 *
W. Claude Hollingsworth, MD ’59
R. Merrill Hunter, MD ’78
Richard Janeway, MD, House Staff ’66 *
James W. Johnston
Petro Kulynych *
The Honorable Donny C. Lambeth, MBA
W. Hampton Lefler Jr., MD ’63
Thomas D. Long, MD ‘52 *
Claude A. McNeill, MD ’43 *
Manson Meads, MD *
Joel B. Miller, MD ’74
Neill H. Musselwhite III, MD ’75
Christopher A. Ohl, MD
Joseph R. Overby, Jr., MD ‘71
Len B. Preslar Jr., MBA
Thomas J. Pulliam, MD ’84
Fred T. Robinette *
J. Ralph Scales, PhD *
Louis deSchweinitz Shaffner, MD, House Staff ’51 *
Richard D. Snyder, MD ’58
M. Frank Sohmer, MD ’52 *
Dixie Lee Boney Soo, MD ’59 *
J. Paul Sticht *
Hal M. Stuart, MD '56 *
Samuel A. Sue, MD ‘56*
Mary Ann Hampton Taylor, MD ’60 *
James N. Thompson, MD
Allen H. Van Dyke, MD ’71
Robert L. Vann, MD ’45 *
Howard S. Wainer, MD ’54 *
Max Wainer *
D.E. Ward Jr., MD ’45 *
John F. Watlington Jr. *
Velma Gibson Watts, PhD
Terri M. Welfare
John C. Whitaker Jr.
A. Tab Williams Jr. *
Joe H. Woody, MD ’58
Kyle A. Young, MD ’69
* Indicates that the individual is deceased.
Margarita Arakelyn-Peters Berwick, MD '19
Gwenyth Davis Day, MD '18
Joy E. Duer, MD ’24
Luke P. Hedrick, MD '20
Collette A. O'Connor, MD '23
Cameron J. Oswalt, MD '18
Christopher Rodman, MD '21
Ivory J. Shelton, MD '20
Nathaniel O. Walcott, MD ’25, MS ’17
Karl James Wold, MD '22