Humanitarian Award
The Mayo Clinic Alumni Association Humanitarian Award acknowledges significant contributions — beyond any volunteer service to Mayo — by an alum of Mayo’s education programs to the welfare of a community, country or humanity. It recognizes individuals who enrich the lives of people through service in the areas of public health or public service.
The recipient(s) will demonstrate the commitment of the Mayo brothers to serving humanity. As William J. Mayo, M.D., said, “Any person who had physical strength, intellectual capacity or unusual opportunity held such endowments in trust to do with them for others in proportion to his gifts.”
The Humanitarian Award is presented at the biennial meeting of the Alumni Association. Recipient(s) must attend the biennial meeting in order to receive the award.
Alumni of Mayo Clinic who meet one or more of the following criteria will be considered:
Selection criteria
- Provide exceptional service through volunteerism or significant service to a population
- Promote the art and science of medicine
- Contribute to underserved populations or provide services in challenging situations
- A completed nomination form
- A letter of nomination, which should include specific examples of how the nominee has contributed to public health or service
- The nominee’s curriculum vitae and bibliography
- At least three, but no more than five letters of recommendation
- Supporting information, which may include letters of commendation, awards, newspaper articles or other information
- Nomination Deadline: March 1, 2025
Nominate
Please submit the following to nominate a member of the Mayo Clinic Alumni Association for this award. Nominations must be submitted by another Mayo alumnus.
A selection committee composed of representatives from the Mayo Clinic Alumni Association reviews the applications and makes the final selection.
Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Specialty |
| 2023 | Peter Daly, M.D. | Medical School (1986), Orthopedic Surgery (1991) |
| 2023 | James Munis, M.D., Ph.D. | Anesthesiology (2001) |
| 2023 | Cumara O’Carroll, M.D | Transitional Year (2010), Neurology (2013), Vascular Neurology (2014) |
| 2021 | William R. Copeland III, M.D. | Neurologic Surgery (2016) |
| 2019 | Philippe Baele, M.D. | Anesthesiology (1981) |
| 2019 | Patricia Walker, M.D. | Medical school (1981), Internal Medicine (1984) |
| 2017 | Eduardo Peña Dolhun, M.D. | Medical school (1996), Family Medicine (1999) |
| 2015 | Charles MacCarthy, M.D. | Ophthalmology (1971) |
| 2013 | Paul Spray, M.D. | Orthopedics (1950) |
| 2011 | C. Robert Stanhope, M.D. | Obstetrics and Gynecology (1982) |
| 2011 | Larry F. Vukov, M.D. | Internal Medicine (1980) |
| 2009 | William Manger, M.D., Ph.D. | Internal Medicine (1955) |
| 2009 | John E. Woods, M.D., Ph.D. | Surgery (1966), Plastic Surgery (1968) |
| 2007 | Eric J. Moore, M.D. | Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery (1997) |
| 2005 | John P. Creasman, M.D. | Ophthalmology (1970) |
| 2005 | Nestor Sanchez, M.D. | Dermatopathology (1981) |
| 2003 | Kenneth T. Calamia, M.D. | Internal Medicine (1978), Rheumatology (1981) |
| 2003 | Rev. William Fryda, M.D. | Internal Medicine (1978), Hematology (1980) |