Distinguished Service Award presented to Dr. Geri Fox
Distinguished Service Award presented to Dr. Geri Fox
Geri Fox, MD, MHPE, FAACAP, is the 2025 recipient of the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford’s (UICOMR) Distinguished Service Award. This award is presented each year to a nominee who demonstrates outstanding organization and leadership qualities in committee service, administration, health care and medical education at UICOMR, the university level and/or nationally.
Since assuming her role as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the College of Medicine Rockford in September 2018, Dr. Fox has significantly expanded medical student education opportunities and strengthened faculty engagement.
She has been instrumental in increasing community faculty members and clerkship sites in psychiatry. As the Director of Psychiatry Medical Student Education, she has been pivotal in ensuring high-quality didactic and clinical experiences for all students, fostering mentorship and supporting students in their career trajectories in psychiatry. She received the college’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2021.
Dr. Fox’s innovative educational programs and resources have made a significant impact nationally. Notable among these is the creation of the Normal Development DVD Curriculum, a widely adopted training tool in child and adolescent psychiatry. Her scholarly contributions, which include numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, have been instrumental in advancing educational strategies and improving mental health training across medical institutions.
Dr. Fox’s research and grant work are equally impressive. Through grant-funded programs, she developed sustainable wellness programs across College of Medicine campuses and fostered interest in child and adolescent psychiatry among medical students, addressing a crucial shortage in the field.
Her dedication to promoting physician well-being and resilience continues through her teaching, mentoring and role as associate dean for Wellness and Resilience Curriculum.
Dr. Fox’s service extends beyond the campus as she has served in numerous leadership capacities in national organizations and has received recognition including the Distinguished Educator Award from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.