John Weinerth, MD, HS'67-'68, '70-'72

John Weinerth, MD, HS'67-'68, '70-'72, has been named one of three recipients of the 2007 Courage To Lead Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The award recognizes outstanding leadership of graduate medical education programs.

Weinerth, a urologist and surgeon, has led Duke's graduate medical education program since 1974 when he was appointed associate director. In 1979 he was named director—a position he maintains today.

“He leads us through issues as diverse as call room space to new tools which assess resident competencies,” says William J. Fulkerson, MD, the chief medical officer for Duke University Hospital . “John is in many ways our ‘conscience,' confronting our assumptions with data from his infamous twice-yearly resident anonymous surveys.”

Two years prior to ACGME requirements of 80-hour maximum work weeks for residents, Weinerth began advocating for a duty hours policy. He was able to convince Duke to invest more than $3 million to add personnel, permitting a decrease in residency hours.

Award recipients are chosen for their exemplary leadership; dedication to promoting the professional, ethical, and personal development of residents; and commitment to safe and appropriate care for patients.

He will receive the award at a dinner on Feb. 12, 2007, in Rosemont, Ill.

His fellow recipients are Robert Cefalo, MD, of UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, and Debra Weinstein, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

In addition, the recipients are invited to a retreat at the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Mich., in May.

In 2001 he received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Duke Medical Alumni Association.

ACGME is a private, nonprofit group that accredits 7,800 residency programs, impacting approximately 100,000 trainees. Its overall goal is to improve the quality of health care by improving the quality of graduate medical education.