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Dr. Larry Cripe, Associate Professor of Medicine, received the Physician Mentor of the Year award for the 2019-2020 academic year.

2020 Physician Mentor of the Year Award

Dr. Larry Cripe

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Larry Cripe, Associate Professor of Medicine, received the Physician Mentor of the Year award for the 2019-2020 academic year! Dr. Cripe has served as a Physician Mentor with the same cohort of mentees for the past four years. He is described by his mentees as, “Someone who challenged us to find meaning in our thoughts, beliefs, and actions. He helped us explore parts of ourselves that we often ignore. He reminded us that we are human before anything else. He encouraged us to remember why we chose this journey.”

One of Dr. Cripe’s mentees also stated that he, “Was interested in learning about us as people,” and “Reminded us that he was there to support us if needed - both academically and emotionally.”

The Physician Mentor program, formerly known as the Volunteer Faculty Advisor program, began in September, 2015, and was created to provide holistic mentorship to a small cohort of medical students throughout their medical school career. Physician Mentors serve as a positive role model and social connection to the school, making themselves available to students for ongoing inspiration as they progress through their medical training.

The Physician Mentor of the Year award aims to recognize Physician Mentors who are going above and beyond for their mentees. All IUSM students were invited to submit a nomination for their Physician Mentor and the Mentoring and Advising Committee (MAC) reviewed the submissions and voted based on the length of service, number of nominations received and quality of the nomination(s). The MAC felt that Dr. Cripe embodied the role of Physician Mentor and is delighted to recognize him for this honor.

The Outstanding Physician Mentor award was given to Physician Mentors with outstanding service and commitment to their mentees, based on similar criteria to the Physician Mentor of the Year award, and included Dr. W. Graham Carlos, Dr. Gary Dunnington, Dr. Michelle Howenstine, Dr. Lionel Brounts and Dr. Scott Steenburg. Additional Physician Mentors who were nominated included Dr. Samir Gupta, Dr. Michelle Curtin, Dr. Ruben Hernandez, Dr. Brooke Walls and Dr. Davoy Murray. Congratulations to all for serving as positive and supportive role models for our students and thank you to all of the students who took the time to nominate their Physician Mentors!

If you know someone who would make an excellent Physician Mentor, please contact Kelly Matthews (kahouser@iu.edu) or direct them to submit an interest form on the Physician Mentor website.

The views expressed in this content represent the perspective and opinions of the author and may or may not represent the position of Indiana University School of Medicine.
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IU School of Medicine

With more than 60 academic departments and specialty divisions across nine campuses and strong clinical partnerships with Indiana’s most advanced hospitals and physician networks, Indiana University School of Medicine is continuously advancing its mission to prepare healers and transform health in Indiana and throughout the world.