Kenneth M. Ludmerer, MD, HS ’79

Kenneth M. Ludmerer, MD, professor of medicine and Mabel Dorn- Reeder Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine, is honored with the distinguished service award for his critically acclaimed work in documenting the history of medical education in the United States and for his efforts to advocate for policy changes that improve medical education.

Ludmerer is internationally recognized for his trilogy of books on medical education — Learning to Heal: The Development of American Medical Education (1985); Time to Heal: American Medical Education from the Turn of the Century to the Era of Managed Care (1999); and Let Me Heal: Th e Opportunity to Preserve Excellence in American Medicine (2014). Called by the journal Science as “the conscience of medicine,” Ludmerer’s books were all nominated for Pulitzer Prizes, and he is considered the preeminent scholar on American medical education for the past 30+ years. His third book, the first account of the medical residency system in the United States, is now in its fourth printing and serves as a guidepost and call to action for how this country should preserve and enhance excellence in medical training and practice in an atmosphere of commercialized health care.

A meticulous researcher with a compelling and accessible writing style, Ludmerer is equally well known for his passion in teaching the next generation of critical thinkers and physicians. A master clinician and popular educator, he is a recipient of the William H. Welch Medal from the American Association of the History of Medicine and has been honored with the prestigious Abraham Flexner Award for distinguished service to medical education from the Association of American Medical Colleges. He has received the Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is proud to have also received the Distinguished Service Teaching Award as Clinical Teacher of the Year from School of Medicine students in 2006 and 2007 and the Samuel L. Goldstein Leadership Award in Medical Student Education in 2001.

Ludmerer is consistently listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World as well as in Th e Best Doctors in America. For his contributions to medicine and for his advocacy efforts aimed at improving medical education across the United States, the Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association is proud to present its Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Ludmerer.