Lifetime Achievement AwardJohn P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine
In 2001, UTMB’s Office of the President established the John P. McGovern Lifetime Achievement Award in Oslerian Medicine, an award that recognizes the practice and teaching of humane medicine in the tradition of Sir William Osler and affirms the
university’s commitment to Oslerian ideals. Born in 1849 in Canada, Osler served on the medical faculties of McGill, the University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins, reaching the peak of his career as Regius professor of medicine at Oxford.
Osler pioneered the practice of teaching at the bedside and initiated the modern residency program. His The Principles and Practice
of Medicine was the standard text for half a century of medical students. Above all, Osler demonstrated, in both patient care and teaching, deep compassion, understanding, and love for his fellow human beings.
Candidates for the award include anyone who is a School of Medicine alumnus or has completed their residency, a fellowship or spent time as a faculty member for greater than or equal to 5 years. The selection will be made by the McGovern Academy's current
Osler Scholars who will assess nominees for their longstanding and distinguished careers of service in four categories:
- Combining scientific principles with humane practice in his/her clinical care and being committed to the relief of patients' suffering;
- Displaying imaginative, innovative, and inspirational teaching;
- Displaying exemplary personal attributes: honesty, modesty, generosity, affection, a respect for the past, spirituality and passion for aesthetic and creative pursuits; and
- Displaying social consciousness and community involvement.
Current Recipient
2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Richard W. Goodgame, MD
Dr. Richard Goodgame, MD, is an emeritus scholar in the John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine and from 2008 to 2018 was both Professor of Medicine and Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency at UTMB.
Dr. Goodgame was raised in Clearwater, Florida. He earned a BA in History and Literature at Vanderbilt University (1971; Phi Beta Kappa) and an MD from Johns Hopkins University (1975; AOA). His training in Internal Medicine was at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital. After doing two years of research in tropical diseases with the Rockefeller Foundation in Castries, St. Lucia, he joined the Faculty of Medicine at Makerere University School of Medicine in Kampala, Uganda. He certified in gastroenterology in 1986. During his nearly 10 years in Uganda he helped run Department of Medicine, set up a gastroenterology consultation service, and helped to shape that country's response to the AIDS epidemic. As a missionary, he spoke fluent Luganda and was truly integrated into the life and culture of Uganda. While he was there, he helped to train numerous physician specialists in internal medicine, which had a profound impact on the East African region’s healthcare workforce. He subsequently returned to the United States to complete his Gastroenterology/Hepatology Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
For the next 19 years he was on the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine. While serving as Chief of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at the Ben Taub Hospital, he was active in patient care, education, and research. He became the Program Director for the Baylor College of Medicine Gastroenterology/Hepatology Fellowship Program, where he taught GI fellows advanced endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound. He published numerous papers in peer-reviewed medical journals and a variety of reviews, book chapters and books and was the recipient of numerous teaching awards.
In 2008, just after Hurricane Ike hit Galveston, Dr. Goodgame moved to UTMB to become the Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency. He guided the program through some of its most tumultuous times and was a crucial part of UTMB’s reconstruction efforts following the storm. Residents loved and appreciated Rick’s love for patient care, his reverence for the field of internal medicine, and his hands-on approach to education and mentorship. As quoted when he received the Laura Randall Schweppe Distinguished Professorship in Internal Medicine, “It’s my responsibility to make sure they master the knowledge, skills and attitudes of Internal Medicine, and to do that I have to be involved in their lives.”
Dr. Goodgame’s primary career focus was on medical education. He taught medical students introduction to clinical medicine, parasitology, basic gastroenterology, nutrition, and global health. He taught internal medicine residents at morning report, noon conference and on the wards. He taught gastroenterology fellows endoscopic techniques and lectured on numerous topics. In recognition of his myriad contributions to medicine and medical education, he was inducted into the John P. McGovern of Oslerian Medicine in 2011 and served as Chair from 2017 to 2018. He was profoundly influenced by Osler and described the evenings sharing meals and discussing Sir William with the other Scholars as some of the most enjoyable times of his career. In 2019, a year after his retirement from UTMB, he published a modern-day “translation” of Sir Thomas Browne’s Religio Medici, a text that Osler reportedly read from every day and significantly influenced his conceptions of religion, medicine, and society.
He currently lives in Friendswood, Texas, where he is enjoying retirement by reading, mowing the lawn, bible study, and spending time with his wife, 5 children, and over 20 grandchildren.