The Guardian of the Mission Award
This award honors the clinical faculty member who has distinguished him/herself by participating in activities that model the mission of the College. Dr. Simmonds was honored with this award for his work in advocacy and research to address the staggering decline of black male representation in medicine. With his employer, Florida Hospital, he assembled an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional team to answer the AAMC’s call to address this problem faced by medical schools nationwide. Dr. Simmonds is the medical director of the Sherman Surgery Center at Florida Hospital. He has garnered national attention and earned distinctions such as the National Health Disparities Scholar and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Clinical Research Award.