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2020 Engel and Payer Awards

Congratulations to Dennis Novack, MD, FACH recipient of the 25th annual George Engel Award For Outstanding Research Contributing to the Theory, Practice and Teaching of Effective Health Care Communication and Related Skills.

Dennis Novack MD FACH

Congratulations to Elaine Wittenberg, PhD, FACH recipient of the 19th annual Lynn Payer Award For Outstanding Contributions to the Literature on the Theory, Practice and Teaching of Effective Health Care Communication and Related Skills.

Elaine Wittenberg PhD

These awards were presented at the 2020 ACH Healthcare Communication Virtual Research Forum June 26-27, 2020.

2021 Engel and Payer Award Nominations

2021 Nomination Deadline: April 30, 2021

Nominations for the Engel and Payer Awards should be submitted electronically and can be submitted at any time.

Nominees for the 2021 awards should be available to attend ICCH 2021
taking place October 17-20, 2021 in Rio Mar, Puerto Rico* if they are selected as an awardee.
Awardees will be recognized in a general session at ICCH.

Awardees are provided travel expense reimbursement for travel to the course/conference
where they accept their award, along with complimentary registration.

*In the event of continued concerns related to the pandemic, the award may be presented virtually.

The Engel Award is presented annually for outstanding research contributing to the theory, practice and teaching of effective healthcare communication and related skills.

Dr. George L. Engel was an internist with psychoanalytic training whose articulation of the "biopsychosocial model" in the 1970s and widespread recognition in the 1980s had a profound impact on the clinical approach to patients, the medical interview and the patient-doctor relationship.

Submit a nomination for the Engel Award

Please send a nomination letter that clearly outlines why you believe the nominee should receive the award and attach a copy of the nominee's curriculum vitae. You may send in your nominations for either one or both awards.

Criteria for Engel Award:

Interpretations or applications of the research make a difference to the practice and/or teaching of effective healthcare communication.
Original and innovative research.
Topic of importance to the enhancement of relationship-centered healthcare.
Scholarly and rigorous methodologies.
No conflict of interest in funding of research.
Nominees should be available to attend ENRICH/Forum taking place June 26-28, 2020 in Austin, Texas if they are selected as an awardee. Awardees will be recognized in the general session.

Submit to:
Nominations for the Engel Award should be submitted electronically here.

Previous Recipients: Engel Award

2020 - Dennis Novack
2019 - Barbara Bokhour
2018 - Gregory Makoul
2017 - Mary Catherine Beach
2016 - Doug Maynard
2015 - Robert Arnold
2014 - Richard Kravitz
2013 - James A. Tulsky
2012 - Richard Street
2011 - William Miller and Stephen Rollnick
2010 - David Hatem
2009 - Dean Schillinger
2008 - Lisa Cooper
2007 - Mack Lipkin
2006 - Thomas Inui
2005 - Peter Maguire
2004 - Wendy Levinson
2003 - Jozien Bensing
2002 - Geoffrey Williams
2001 - Bob Smith
2000 - Sam Putnam
1999 - Richard Frankel
1998 - George Engel
1997 - Debra Roter
1996 - Barbara Korsch

The Payer Award is presented annually for outstanding contributions to literature on the theory, practice and teaching of effective healthcare communication and related skills.

Lynn Payer was a journalist and served as managing editor of Medical Encounter for over a decade. She was the author of the classic book Medicine and Culture and wrote hundreds of news stories and features during her career.

Submit a nomination for the Payer Award

Criteria for Payer Award*

The awardee has written and/or developed: Scholarly reviews that synthesize or clarify healthcare communications theory.
Concepts or models that enhance health care communications and the patient-clinician relationship.
Applications of research or empirical theory to teaching and assessment methodologies to enhance health care communication and the patient-doctor relationship.
Nominees should be available to attend ENRICH/Forum taking place June 26-28, 2020 in Austin, Texas if they are selected as an awardee. Awardees will be recognized in the general session.

*Exclusion Criteria: A Payer award nominee whose written work has primarily been original contributions to the research literature may be considered for the Engel Award.

Submit to:
Nominations for the Payer Award should be submited electronically here.

Previous Recipients: Payer Award

2020 - Elaine Wittenberg
2019 - Evelyn van Weel-Baumgarten
2018 - Calvin Chou
2017 - Adriaan Visser
2016 - Fred Platt
2015 - Jonathan Silverman, Juliet Draper, and Suzanne Kurtz
2014 - Tony Suchman
2013 - William T. Branch
2012 - Adina Kalet
2011 - David Pendleton, Theo Schofield, Peter Tate and Peter Havelock
2010 - Walter Baile
2009 - Anthony Back
2008 - Paul Haidet
2007 - Richard Frankel and Howard Beckman
2006 - Rita Charon
2005 - Ronald Epstein
2004 - Timothy Quill
2003 - Gregory Makoul
2002 - Dennis Novack

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