Distinguished Teaching Award goes to Dr. Girardy
Distinguished Teaching Award goes to Dr. Girardy
James Girardy, MD, a clinical professor in the UICOMR Department of Surgery and Surgical Specialties, received the Distinguished Teaching Award during the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford’s Convocation Ceremony on Friday, April 25, 2024.
The Distinguished Teaching Award is presented each year to a faculty member who has demonstrated a longstanding history of outstanding interest in our medical students and a strong commitment to medical education.
Dr. Girardy joined UICOMR’s Department of Surgery and Surgical Specialties as a clinical assistant professor in 1980 and was promoted to clinical associate professor in 1995. He served on the Surgery Executive Committee multiple times and has been actively involved in teaching third and fourth-year medical students throughout his surgical career.
Dr. Girardy is also a published author. Several of his humanistic thoughts can be found in JAMA, The American Surgeon and The Examined Life Journal.
His interest in teaching medical ethics has included weekly seminars with third-year students to discuss ethical cases and situations they may have encountered.
All of Dr. Girardy’s students say he creates a positive learning environment and the support he has provided them is excellent.
“I appreciate how honest Dr. Girardy is,” one student says. “His compassion for us, his patients and medicine in general shines through. He makes the prospect of practicing medicine real, achievable and honorable by reminding us why we wanted to be a doctor in the first place.”
In addition to his formal teaching role, Dr. Girardy also serves as an advisor to student interest groups in ethics, surgery and narrative medicine. He is also a physician house advisor for medical students. He is always approachable, and students do not hesitate to ask his advice.
As a teacher, mentor and role model, Dr. James Girardy is an ideal choice for the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award.