Students Honors and Awards
Awards
Medical students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, leadership, service, and a strong commitment to the values of medicine are recognized through nationally respected honor societies. Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) honor excellence in scholarship, clinical performance, and humanistic care, reflecting the dedication and impact of learners across the UI College of Medicine.
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Society
Founded in 1902, Alpha Omega Alpha is the national medical honor society. Its mission is to improve care for everyone by recognizing high educational achievement; honoring gifted teaching; encouraging the development of leaders in academia and the community; supporting the ideals of humanism; and promoting service to others.
Algorithm Calculation for Nomination to Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honorary Society
I: First Step – (Criteria from AΩA National)
Membership in AΩA may be attained as a medical student, resident, fellow, faculty member, alumni, clinician, or distinguished leader in medicine. Each school may elect up to 20% of the graduating class of students, who, based on merit, demonstrate the characteristics of excellent physicians in alignment with AΩA’s mission and values. The characteristics of excellent physicianship will be identified by each school; examples include trustworthiness, character, caring, knowledge, scholarship, proficiency in the doctor-patient relationship, leadership, compassion, empathy, altruism, and servant leadership. Nominees must be in good academic standing and must not have any professionalism concerns.
II: Second Step – (30 points maximum)
From this point, the specifics of the process are governed by the UIC AΩA chapter. This second step, however, continues to rely on the Dean’s office for conducting the relevant calculations. The second step further re-applies some of the academic performance criteria previously utilized for the MSPE calculation – specifically the clerkship grades, which most directly reflect students’ capacity to “serve the suffering” in accord with the AOA mission. The clinical grade and exam grade are considered separately here, in order to ensure that outstanding clinical performance is recognized even where the final clerkship grade might have been diminished by exam performance.
Allocation of points for Core Clerkship Clinical Performance
- Honors in 35-44% core clerkships = 7 pts
- Honors in 45-59% core clerkships = 10 pts
- Honors in 60-79% core clerkships = 13 pts
- Honors in 80-99% core clerkships = 16 pts
- Honors in 100% core clerkships = 19 pts
Allocation of points for Core Clerkship NBME Examination
- Top 20 percentile nationally in 2 clerkships =3pts
- Top 20 percentile nationally in 3 clerkships = 5pts
- Top 20 percentile nationally in 4 clerkships = 7 pts
- Top 20 percentile nationally in 5 clerkships =9 pts
- Top 20 percentile nationally in 6 clerkships = 11 pts
III: Third Step – (30 points maximum)
Students invited to apply to AOA will be asked to submit data on their extracurricular activities, which the AΩA Executive Committee will then further assess using the following criteria in the table below. The candidate will submit the completed application for AΩA, see application for further details.
- Leadership within the College and/or University or National organization (e.g., officer of a campus or College medical student council, student organization, etc): (0 to 9 pts)
- Research Experience: (0 to 3 pts)
- Research Presentations: (0 to 2 pts
- Publications achieved during medical school: (0 to 2 pts)
- Community Service: (0 to 9 pts)
- Personal Essay: (0 to 5 pts)
IV: Final Nominations – (60 points maximum)
As stipulated by the national AΩA chapter, “… one fifth of the total number of the class expected to graduate may be nominated for membership.” As such, the students scoring in the top 1/5 of the class will be notified of their nomination to membership. Those nominated must then register with the AΩA National Office, and pay the first year of dues (currently $68), to be declared elected to the Society. Other details, such as eligibility of student who have transferred to the College during medical school, are addressed in the national AΩA Constitution, which can be found at the AΩA website
Gold Humanism Honor Society
The mission of the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) is to recognize individuals who practice humanistic patient care and who can serve as role models, mentors, and leaders in medicine. The power of the Society lies in bringing together like-minded individuals to sustain their own humanism and to inspire and nurture humanism in others. Membership in GHHS goes beyond selection and induction into an honor society; its members have demonstrated compassion, empathy and humanism in their prior work and have a responsibility to model, support, and advocate for compassionate, patient-centered care throughout their careers.
The University of Illinois College of Medicine (UI COM) has formed three local chapters of this national honor society to recognize outstanding humanistic activity among the students at our three different campuses. The Gold Humanism Honor Society is sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation whose mission is fostering humanism in medicine. The Gold Foundation defines humanism as “encompassing those attitudes and behaviors that emanate from a deep sensitivity and respect for others, including full acceptance of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Further, humanism is exemplified through compassionate, empathetic treatment of all persons, while recognizing each one’s needs and autonomy.”
The Gold Foundation is a public, not-for-profit organization established in 1988 by Drs. Arnold and Sandra Gold, colleagues at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, and dedicated community leaders and philanthropists. Through funds raised by The Foundation for programs, significant advances have been made in the development, implementation, evaluation and replication of innovative medical educational programs and projects to influence the way physicians are trained. National programs include sponsorship of the White Coat Ceremony for incoming medical students, Student Clinician’s Ceremony for rising third year medical students, fellowships, essay contests, lectures, Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Awards, national symposia, training videos, and an on-line Humanism Resource Center. More information on the Foundation website.
For more information on the local chapters at our different campuses and the award recipients for the current year, please visit the respective websites: