MMA Bestows Teaching Award to Member

May 4, 2023

On May 3, MMA President Will Nicholson, MD, presented the Exceptional Primary Care Community Faculty Teaching Award to Michael N. Stiffman, MD, at the fifth annual Dean’s Tribute to Excellence in Education event at Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota. 

Stiffman, an MMA member, has provided comprehensive primary care for more than 25 years, and has spent much of his career managing patients with HIV with compassion and empathy.  

MMA President Will Nicholson, MD, (left) and Michael N. Stiffman, MD.

In 2015, the MMA and the University of Minnesota Medical School embarked on what was to become the “Preceptor Initiative,” an effort to develop tools and resources to improve the training and support for preceptors. This partnership serves as a recognition of the important role that community preceptors play in the education of medical students, and their combined commitment to ensuring that there is a sufficient supply of community preceptors across Minnesota.    

The teaching award stemmed from this partnership, as a way to recognize those who take the time to teach our future physician workforce.  The award honors community faculty members and is co-presented by the MMA and the University of Minnesota Medical School.    

Nicholson was joined at the event by Janet Silversmith, MMA CEO, and Juliana Milhofer, JD, MMA's public health and policy engagement manager.