Travel Awards

Travel Awards (all faculty & students eligible): Travel awards are established to support faculty and/or medical students at Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah SFESOM in attending and presenting at professional conferences. This award recognizes the valuable contributions of faculty and trainees in their respective fields and aims to facilitate professional development and scholarship. By covering travel expenses, the award enables recipients to: 1) Disseminate their research 2) Exchange ideas with peers 3) Stay current with advancements in their disciplines 4) Contribute to academic scholarship at the SFESOM. 

Travel awards through the division are split into two separate award cycles. The Fall cycle runs from May 1st - October 15th and the Spring cycle runs from October 16th - April 30th.

  • Application: here.
  • Deadline: Submission for the Fall cycle award is October 15th (this is for travel occurring between May 1st and October 15th) and submission for the Spring cycle award is April 30th (this is for travel occurring between October 16th and April 30th).
  • Notification: Recipients of the award will be notified roughly 1 month after award deadlines.
  • Eligibility: We encourage all students and faculty to apply. A preference will be given to student/faculty pairs and on community adjunct faculty.
  • Please note: All travel support will be completed through a reimbursement process. You must show proof of conference acceptance and be able to provide receipts upon completion of the application. Only conference registration, airfare, and lodging are eligible for reimbursement. No other expenses will be covered. Additionally, the award application is the same link for both the Fall and Spring cycle.
  • Contact: for questions please reach out to divisionofmeded@hsc.utah.edu.
Travel Award Winners (AY24-25)

Teaching Awards

Preceptor Teaching Awards: The outstanding faculty preceptor awards are designed to recognize and celebrate the exceptional contributions of faculty on medical student education each academic year. This award acknowledges faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching, foster student engagement, and enhance the student learning experience. The award aims to honor those who go above and beyond in their role, supporting student growth and enriching the educational environment. Recipients are chosen based on their teaching methods, commitment to student success, and positive impact on the academic community. You can find a link to the application here. 

  • Application: here.
  • Deadline: applications must be submitted by March 15th, 2026.
  • Notification: recipients will be notified by April 15th, 2026.
  • Eligibility: We encourage all faculty who precept medical students to apply. We also welcome colleague, peer, and student nominations.

AY24-25 Award Winners

  • dr-weber-poy

    • What has been your favorite part of working with students?

    Having an engaged learner refreshes my own enthusiasm for clinical practice!  The questions and perspective of a student remind me how meaningful our clinical work is.

    • Any teaching tips you’d like to share with other LIC preceptors?

    Make teaching a priority rather than an afterthought!  While it takes more time, prioritizing education over efficiency makes precepting more valuable for everyone.

  • dr-armstrong-poy

    • What has been your favorite part of working with students?

    I enjoy having students because they want to know everything and bring joy to clinic. 

    • Any teaching tips you’d like to share with other LIC preceptors?

    Always ask if there is something your student is unsure about or wanting to work on; we often find a perfect patient on the schedule to fit those needs. Talk about hard things, like the ethics and difficulties with fmla, support animals, etc because the students will have similar questions in their practice and it is helpful to know how you work through those requests. 

  • dr-kunceswitch

    • What has been your favorite part of working with students?

    My favorite part of working with the students is seeing the “aha!” moment they show on their face when something clicks for them that they are trying to learn in the OR. I also love the longitudinal nature of the LIC preceptorship b/c I get to see their growth over the course of a full year. 

    • Any teaching tips you’d like to share with other LIC preceptors?

    I would tell other LIC preceptors to set goals for what they would like their students to achieve/learn over the course of the year – what they really want a student to take away from a rotation - and plan their teaching accordingly. 

CompHealth Clinical Community Faculty Award (community faculty only)

In partnership with CompHealth, the University of Utah School of Medicine Alumni Association and the Office of Academic Affairs and Education created the CompHealth Clinical Community Faculty Award to recognize outstanding clinical preceptors in the community. These preceptors contribute countless hours to the education of our medical students and residents, and this award is one of the ways the University formally thanks them. Nominees practice medicine outside of University of Utah Health (or at a UUMG clinic), have an adjunct appointment in a School of Medicine Department, and regularly take students, residents, and/or fellow for their clinical rotations. The awardees are recognized at a dinner event where they are presented with a $2500 award. Please visit the award webpage to learn more about the award, including how to nominate someone.

  • Application: here.
  • Deadline: January 31st, 2026.

Faculty Educator Peer Recognition Award (internal faculty only):

The Fa​culty Educator Peer Recognition Program, created by a subcommittee of departmental vice chairs of education provides an opportunity for faculty engaged in education to receive peer recognition for meaningful contributions in teaching and education leadership, contributions that may be more difficult to highlight compared to grants and publications for faculty engaged in research.  The program is specifically designed to allow a faculty member to receive the peer recognition multiple times between rank advancements. By providing such ​opportunities for educators, we hope to enhance the ability to demonstrate excellence in education and aid in promotion. You can view more about the award here.