Gold Foundation ceremony recognizes excellence in compassion, professionalism

The Gold Foundation Humanism Honor Society held its Spring Celebration May 7. The annual event marks the induction of new members of the group, which recognizes students, trainees, and faculty members who exemplify compassion, empathy, and professionalism in the delivery of care to patients. The society is supported by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. 

Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award 

The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award is a national recognition offered to one student and one faculty member from each member institution across the country who are “exemplars of humanism in the care of patients and families.” Awardees become members of the national Gold Humanism Honor Society. 

Faculty Awardee 

Bradley Erickson, MD, MS 
The Rubin H. Flocks Professor of Urology and Surgery 
Division Director, Functional and Reconstructive Urology 
Department of Urology  

Erickson received his medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in 2003 and completed a fellowship in trauma and reconstructive urology at the University of California, San Francisco. He also earned a Master of Science degree in clinical investigation from the UI College of Public Health. 

His areas of clinical expertise include a wide range of urologic diseases, conditions, and procedures, including genitourinary stricture disease, cancer survivorship, complex urologic infections, and urologic trauma. 

He is a member of the editorial boards of Journal of Urology, Urology Times, and Translational Andrology and Urology, and he is deputy editor of Urology. In addition, he is a member of the American Urological Association, the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons, the Society of International Urology, and the American College of Surgeons. He has received research grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Administration Office of Rural Health, and the American Urological Association. 

Student Awardee 

Akansha Jain 

Akansha Jain is a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Under the mentorship of Michael Welsh, MD, in the cystic fibrosis and lung biology group, she researched mitochondria and the redox environment in healthy airway cells compared to those from patients with immotile airway cilia. Aspiring to become a physician-scientist, Akansha aims to enhance patient care through groundbreaking discoveries and new knowledge. 

Honor Society inductees 

The University of Iowa’s chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society aims to identify the top 10% of students who embody the humanistic values critical to exceptional medical practice. The selection process evaluates medical students' interpersonal and humanistic qualities through a peer nomination survey across four key domains: caring, competence, community service, and potential as a personal physician. 

Medical student inductees