Dean Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, was awarded the IU President’s Medal for Excellence by President Michael A. McRobbie during a meeting of the faculty steering committee earlier this month.
The medal is the highest honor the university’s president can bestow. It recognizes those who have made outstanding professional achievements and provided exceptional service to the university.
McRobbie surprised Hess with the award during a Zoom meeting. In addition to his role as IU School of Medicine dean, Hess also serves as executive vice president for university clinical affairs for Indiana University—a dual role that McRobbie applauded during his presentation.
“As executive vice president for university clinical affairs, Jay has had an enormous impact in welding our clinical schools into a much more cohesive entity and then building programs that cut across all schools,” McRobbie said, also highlighting the tremendous NIH funding growth seen during Hess’s tenure at IU School of Medicine, as well as a monumental fundraising effort during the Bicentennial campaign.
McRobbie also praised Hess’s leadership of the restart committee during the COVID-19 pandemic—in which, the outgoing IU president said Hess’s work played a pivotal role in keeping the university population safe.
According to Hess, who was surprised and deeply honored by the award, his success is shared by the entire school community.
“Nothing I do is alone. It’s through the work of all the people in the School of Medicine who are so dedicated,” Hess said. “It’s been a tremendous privilege to serve in this role, and I look forward to continuing the trajectory we’ve been on.
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IU School of Medicine
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