Awards Program
As part of our mission the Foundation recognizes the outstanding contributions of our members to post-acute and long-term care medicine with the following annual awards:
- Clinician of the Year Award
- Medical Director of the Year Award
- William Dodd Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service
- James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education
Each award has its own nomination and selection criteria and procedures. Please visit each individual award for more information.
Accepting applications for 2024 Awards Soon.
2024 Award Winners will be announced at PALTC24 – AMDA’s Annual Conference , Spring 2024.
2024 Nominations will begin July 1, 2023 and run until November 11, 2023.

Clinician of the Year Award

2023 Clinician of the Year Award
Vikas Reddy, MD
The Clinician of the Year Award recognizes members of the interdisciplinary (IDT) team who serve in
PALTC settings. It honors a licensed health-care practitioner who is directly involved in treating and caring for people in PALTC settings and who embodies excellence in patient/resident care. The 2023 Clinician of the Year award winner was announced at PALTC23. The recipient was Vikas Reddy, MD.
His nominator noted that “Dr. Reddy demonstrates a high level of professional competence in ongoing clinical, ethical, and social educational initiatives with providers in our practice as well as nursing staff in the skilled and long-term care communities we serve. He is recognized as a strong advocate for our patients and residents and demonstrates compassion and thoughtfulness in his interactions with them and their families. His collaborative approach with other team members has established him as a role model amongst his peers and associates. Involvement in community medical services is important to him and he is constantly developing new projects to bring clinical insight and guidance to the vulnerable populations we serve.” Strong testimonials from a number of his team members were also concluded.
AWARD ELIGIBILITY
- AMDA member in good standing
- Licensed practitioners providing direct care in PALTC settings including physicians, advanced practice providers, mental health practitioners, social workers, physical or occupational therapists.
- Settings of practice including skilled nursing facility, private practice/practice management group, assisted living, or Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
HOW TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION
You may nominate an individual for the 2024 Clinician of the Year award by completing the information requested below. Nominations for the Clinician of the Year award are due November 11, 2023.
Nominations should include 3-5 activities/examples in each of the following categories:
- clinical skills
- collaboration
- advocacy
- leadership
Before you get started, consider the following about the nominee:
- High level of professional competence through continuing education, including ethical and social issues
- Recognized as a strong advocate for patients/residents
- Excellent collaborator with other members of the team and recognized as a role model by their peers
- High level of exemplary interaction with patients/residents and families
- Community involvement in community medical services, professional organizations, and/or other contributions to the community.
CLINICIAN OF THE YEAR NOMINATION FORM
*Required
You may nominate an individual for the 2024 Clinician of the Year Award by completing the information requested below. To aid you in the preparation for your nomination it is recommended that you contact the nominee and ask them to provide you with 4-6 specific activities that showcase the following characteristics of the nominee in the following areas: clinical skills, collaboration, advocacy and leadership.
2023 AWARD WINNER VIDEO
Medical Director of the Year Award

2023 Medical Director of the Year Award
Rani Rao, MD, FMCP, CMD
PAST WINNERS
Recipients of the Medical Director of the Year Award
2022 Swati Gaur, MD, MBA, CMD
2021 Leslie Beth Eber, MD, CMD
2020 Fred Feinsod, MD, CMD
2019 Charles Crecelius MD, PhD, CMD
2018 Eric Hasemeier, DO, MBA, CMD
2017 Joshua Schor, MD, CMD
2016 David A. LeVine, MD, CMD
2015 Patricia A. Chace, MD, CMD
2014 Sandra Liliana Oakes, MD CMD
2013 Rocco Vivenzio, MD, CMD
2012 Noel DeBacker, MD, CMD
2011 Sabine von Preyss-Friedman, MD, CMD
2010 Robert Schreiber, MD, CMD
2009 Rebecca L. Ferrini MD, MPH, CMD
2008 J. Kenneth Brubaker, MD, CMD
2007 Timothy Malloy, MD, CMD
The Medical Director of the Year Award recognizes those individuals whose vision, passion, leadership, knowledge, and commitment succeed in taking patient care to exceptional levels of quality, excellence, and innovation.
The 2023 Medical Director of the Year award recipient—Rani Rao, MD, FMCP, CMD—received her award at the PALTC23 Annual Conference in Tampa, FL, on March 9, 2022.
Dr. Rao’s nominator said: “When Dr. Rao arrived at Coler on March 30, 2020, NYC was the epicenter of the COVID-19 Pandemic in our country, and all of her efforts became focused on dealing with this public health crisis of an unprecedented nature. From day one, she rounded with our frontline workforce on the nursing units, conducting group meetings to help calm their fears and apprehension while doing all that she could do to get them sufficient supplies and PPE, and to obtain emergency replacement staff for our health care workers who became ill from COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic months, she worked diligently with other key leaders at Coler to maintain close lines of communication between residents and their families, arranging interdisciplinary meetings via videoconference to discuss plans of care.”
AWARD ELIGIBILITY
- A physician in good standing with the community and profession
- An AMDA member in good standing
- A Certified Medical Director (CMD)
- An experienced medical director (3 or more years)
- An experienced attending physician in a nursing facility(ies)
- A proven team leader
- A proven clinical leader
- Involved in community activities
- An effective educator
HOW TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION
You may nominate an individual for the 2024 Medical Director of the Year award by completing the information requested below. Nominations for the Medical Director of the Year award are due November 11, 2023.
Nominations should include 4-6 activities/examples in each of the following categories:
- Team leadership – e.g. established a wound care team
- Clinical leadership – e.g. implemented practice guidelines on falls prevention
- Education of facility staff – e.g. in-service topics, state or national presentations
- Community involvement – e.g. Hold monthly advance directives clinics at local senior center
The nominations from previous winners included the following characteristics:
- Offered multiple examples of activities that demonstrated excellence in each category
- Nominations supported by multiple facility leaders (e.g., Administrator and DON)
- Included quantifiable examples of success with measured outcomes (e.g. Implemented a program that reduced falls by 18%)
- Incorporated psycho-emotional components (e.g., How he/she makes staff, colleagues, and patients feel).
Before you get started, consider the following:
- Review AMDA’s Role and Responsibilities of the Medical Director and compile examples of how your medical director fulfills these.
- Cite examples of how your medical director interacts with the interdisciplinary team
- Gather examples of the regular contributions he/she makes as well as those times they were exceptional.
MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR NOMINATION FORM
*Required Fields
You may nominate an individual for the 2024 Medical Director of the Year Award by completing the information requested below. To aid you in the preparation for your nomination it is recommended that you contact the nominee and ask them to provide you with 4-6 specific activities that showcase the following characteristics of the nominee in each of the following areas: team leader, clinical leader, education of facility staff and community involvement.
2023 AWARD WINNER VIDEO
William Dodd Founder’s Award

2023 William Dodd Founder’s Award
Arif Nazir, MD, CMD
PAST WINNERS
Recipients of the William Dodd Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service
2022 Michael Wasserman, MD, CMD
2021 Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP
2020 Keith Rapp, MD, CMD
2019 David Smith, MD, CMD
2018 Paul Katz, MD, CMD
2017 Jonathan Musher, MD, CMD
2016 Karyn Leible, MD, CMD
2015 J. Kenneth Brubaker, MD, CMD
2014 Jeffrey Burl, MD, CMD
2013 Paul Drinka, MD, CMD
2012 Steven Levenson, MD, CMD
2011 William D. Smucker, MD, CMD
2010 Charles Crecelius, MD, PhD, FACP, CMD
2009 Daniel Haimowitz, MD, FACP, CMD
2008 Charles A. Cefalu, MD, MS
2007 Daniel Osterweil, MD, MscEd, CMD
2006 Leonard Gelman, MD, CMD
2005 James E. Lett II, MD, CMD
2004 Randall Huss, MD, CMD
2003 Dennis Stone, MD, MBA, CMD
2002 Keith Krein, MD, CMD
2001 Cheryl Phillips, MD, CMD
2000 Eric Tangalos, MD, CMD
1999 Monte J. Levinson, MD, CMD
1998 Nicholas Owen, MD, CMD
1997 William Dodd, MD, CMD
The William Dodd Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service recognizes significant contributions to building the Society’s organizational strength, image, and mission by promoting the development of competent, compassionate, and committed medical practitioners. It is named for AMDA Founder William Dodd, MD, CMD. At PALTC23, the award was presented to Arif Nazir, MD, CMD.
“Arif has held every significant position in AMDA over the years. His presidency energized…the average, frontline AMDA member in a positive way. His push for increased technology utilization in PALTC was the first movement for the increased utilization of information technology for frontline clinicians,” his nominator noted. “He has put AMDA and its clinicians in a positive spotlight. He has pushed care initiatives to his and other chains of facilities in quality initiatives and the use of intradisciplinary team members. To know him is to sense his impetus for positive change in PALTC.”
AWARD ELIGIBILITY
- A physician, physician assistant, or advanced nurse practitioner in good standing with the community and profession
- Active in the field of post-acute & long-term care
- AMDA member in good standing
- Not a current Officer on the AMDA, ABPLM or Foundation boards.
HOW TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION
You may nominate an individual for the 2024 William Dodd Founder’s Award by completing the nomination form. The 2024 Dodd award will be presented at PALTC24-AMDA’s annual conference.
Nominations for the William Dodd Founder’s Award were due November 11, 2023.
Before you get started, in 250 words or less, please consider specific contributions the nominee has made to build the organizational strength, image, and mission of AMDA and advance the Society’s goals to improve the care delivered to patients throughout the long-term care continuum.
WILLIAM DODD FOUNDER'S NOMINATION FORM
*Required Fields
The William Dodd Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service recognizes significant contributions by those individuals who build the organizational strength, image, and mission of AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. These individuals promote medical direction and healthcare provider services in long-term care by enhancing the reputation of AMDA and advancing the Society’s goals to improve the care delivered to patients throughout the long term care continuum.
2023 AWARD WINNER VIDEO
2023 AWARD WINNER | The William Dodd Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service: Arif Nazir, MD, CMD
James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education

2023 James Pattee Award – Joint Recipient
Philip Sloane, MD, MPH
PAST WINNERS
Recipients of the James Pattee Award for Exellence in Education
2022 Peter Jaggard, MD, CMD, FACP
2021 Michele F. Bellantoni, MD, CMD
2020 Robert Kaplan, MD, CMD
2019 Naushira Pandya, MD, CMD
2018 Jeffrey B. Burl, MD, CMD
2017 Matthew S. Wayne, MD, CMD
2016 Verna Reynolds Sellers, MD, CMD
2015 Jonathan Evans, MD, MPH, CMD
2014 Heidi White, MD, MHS, MEd, CMD
2013 Leslie S. Libow, MD, CMD
2012 Paul Katz, MD, CMD
2011 John E. Morley, MB, BCH
2010 Cari Levy, MD, PhD, CMD
2009 Cheryl L. Phillips MD, CMD, AGSF
2008 Leonard Gelman, MD, CMD
2007 Daniel L. Swagerty, MD, MPH, CMD
2006 Catherine Kiley, DO, CMD
2005 David Brechtelsbauer, MD, CMD
2004 Janice Knebl, DO, CMD
2003 Michael Maddens, MD, CMD
2002 Jonathan Musher, MD, CMD
2001 Alva Baker III, MD, CMD
2000 David A. Smith, MD, FAAFP, CMD
1999 Larry Lawhorne, MD, CMD
1998 Steven A. Levenson, MD, CMD
1997 James Pattee, MD, CMD
The James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education recognizes significant contributions to enhance the Society’s educational structure and framework, to advance education specific to PALTC practice, and to promote AMDA leadership via educational endeavors within the LTC continuum. It was established to honor James Pattee, MD, CMD, the father of the AMDA Certification Program and the Core Curriculum program. The 2023 award had joint recipients: Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, and Philip Sloane, MD, MPH.
As their nominator explained, “[Drs. Sloane and Zimmerman have] performed the editor’s role for
JAMDA in an exemplary fashion. Always a voice for PALTC and AMDA, JAMDA has fulfilled that role
incredibly well with their leadership. The journal has been elevated to a higher position in the academic world and made JAMDA the preeminent publication for PALTC. Worldwide articles have been solicited, edited, then accepted and published. Editorial articles have defined PALTC, outlining where it has been and where it should be headed. Many of those editorial articles have been penned by Drs. Sloane and Zimmerman, with the balance crafted by PALTC thought leaders. Drs. Sloane and Zimmerman are the exemplars of Jim Pattee’s vision for AMDA.”
AWARD ELIGIBILITY
- A physician, physician assistant or advanced nurse practitioner in good standing with the community and profession
- Active in the field of post-acute & long-term care medicine
- AMDA member in good standing
- Not a current officer on the AMDA, ABPLM or Foundation boards.
HOW TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION
You may nominate an individual for the 2024 James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education by completing the nomination form. The 2024 Pattee award will be presented at PALTC24 – AMDA’s Annual Conference.
Nominations for the James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education were due on November 11, 2023.
Before you get started, in 250 words or less, please consider specific contributions that the nominee has made to advance the educational goals of AMDA, and as a leader in PALTC education across the PALTC continuum.
JAMES PATTEE AWARD NOMINATION FORM
*Required Fields
You may nominate an individual for the 2024 James Pattee Award for Excellence in Eduction by completing the information requested below.
2023 AWARD WINNERS VIDEO
James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education – Joint Recipients: Philip Sloane, MD, MPH and Sheryl Zimmerman. PhD

2023 James Pattee Award – Joint Recipient
Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD