Dr. Darrell Kirch to Receive Bednash Lectureship Award at Academic Nursing Leadership Conference

At AACN’s 2020 Academic Nursing Leadership Conference, being held virtually the entire month of October, the Geraldine “Polly” Bednash Lectureship Award will be presented to Dr. Darrell Kirch, President Emeritus of the Association of American Medical Colleges and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. This lectureship award honors Dr. Polly Bednash, former President and CEO of AACN, for her distinguished record of service to the association.  Award recipients are chosen by the AACN Board of Directors on the basis of their scholarship and the notability of their contributions to nursing, health care, higher education, and/or interprofessional education. 

Dr. Kirch will deliver his presentation on Sunday, October 18, at 4:00 pm (ET).

A distinguished educator, biomedical scientist, and clinician, Dr. Kirch served as President and CEO of AAMC from 2006 until 2019. He speaks and publishes widely on the need for transformation in the nation’s healthcare system and how academic institutions can lead change across education, research, and health care for their communities and beyond. As a respected university leader, Dr. Kirch has chaired the Washington Higher Education Secretariat and served as a member of the American Council on Education Board of Directors. In 2007, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and has been active in multiple initiatives of the National Academies. As an ardent champion for the well-being of the nation's health professions workforce, he currently serves as co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience. Dr. Kirch also serves as a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Psychiatrists.

Prior to becoming AAMC president, Dr. Kirch served as dean, university senior vice president, and academic health system leader of two institutions, the Medical College of Georgia and the Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He has co-chaired the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accrediting body for U.S. medical schools, and chaired the national AAMC Council of Deans.