Four Miller School Alumni Honored at 2026 Medical Alumni Awards
From scientific discovery and global health leadership to public policy and patient advocacy, the 2026 Medical Alumni Award honorees reflect the lasting impact of Miller School alumni.
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine celebrated the extraordinary achievements of its alumni at the 2026 Medical Alumni Awards. Hosted by the Medical Alumni Association, the ceremony honored four distinguished physicians whose careers have helped shape the future of medicine through discovery, leadership and service.
The recipients of the 2026 awards are:
• Hall of Fame: Mark T. Gladwin, M.D. ‘91
• Anastasia: Hansel E. Tookes, M.D. ‘14, M.P.H. ‘09
• Distinguished Alumni: Jerrold H. Levy, M.D. ‘78
• Distinguished Alumni: Jose A. Stoute, M.D. ‘85, M.F.A. ‘23
“The Medical Alumni Awards represent one of the highest honors bestowed by our alumni community,” said Christian Diez, M.D. ‘04, M.B.A. ‘13, B.S. ‘00, Miller School professor of anesthesiology and president of the Medical Alumni Association. “They celebrate not only professional excellence, but also integrity, passion and a deep commitment to improving lives.”
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A Reflection of Institutional Excellence
The achievements of this year’s honorees reflect the Miller School’s rising national prominence, as it continues to attract top talent, said Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School.
“Tonight’s honorees are a shining example of the strength and excellence of the Miller School,” said Dean Ford. “They represent the very best of our institution and reflect the impact our alumni are making across academic medicine and health care.”
Dean Ford also underscored the vital role alumni play in shaping the school’s future, noting that their engagement and support are essential to advancing its mission in research, education and clinical care and to inspiring the next generation of physicians and physician-scientists.
Hall of Fame Award: Advancing Medicine and Science
Alex Mechaber, M.D. ‘94, M.B.A. ‘24, B.S. ‘90, chair of the Alumni Awards Committee, emphasized the selectivity of the process in introducing the four recipients.
“I can say, without any hesitation, that this year’s honorees represent the very highest standards of achievement, leadership and service,” said Dr. Mechaber, who served on the Miller School faculty for 22 years and is active as a professor emeritus. “Their careers embody the mission of the Miller School, advancing science, transforming patient care and leading with purpose.”
The Hall of Fame Award, the evening’s top distinction, honors alumni whose careers have made a lasting and transformative impact on medicine and science. Dr. Gladwin, an internationally recognized physician-scientist and academic leader in cardiovascular, pulmonary and vascular medicine, became the 31st recipient of this honor.
Trained through the University of Miami Honors Program, Dr. Gladwin’s early clinical experiences at Jackson Memorial Hospital, including during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, cemented his lifelong commitment to academic medicine. He credited numerous colleagues from the Miller School whose mentorship and influence guided the course of his career.
“I am indebted to those who taught me to learn hard and play hard, to be both an intellectual and deeply passionate about medicine,” said Dr. Gladwin.
Dr. Gladwin’s discoveries include identifying nitrite as a key biological signaling molecule and defining the role of pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell disease. His work has transformed the understanding and treatment of both conditions.
A longtime leader at the National Institutes of Health, he now serves as dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. With more than 500 publications, he has led dozens of clinical studies and mentored generations of physicians and scientists.
Anastasia Award: Advancing Equity and Compassion in Medicine
Among the most distinguished honors of the Miller School, the Anastasia Award recognizes extraordinary commitment to service, advocacy and lasting impact. Not awarded since 2010, this year’s award was presented to Dr. Tookes, a physician whose work has transformed public health policy and expanded access to care for vulnerable populations.
A tenured professor of infectious diseases at the Miller School, Dr. Tookes is a national leader in health equity, infectious diseases and harm-reduction research. His work began as a student, confronting unsafe injection practices in Miami, and evolved into action driven by a defining question. What are we going to do about it?
After years of advocacy, Dr. Tookes helped establish Florida’s first legal syringe services program in 2016, reducing HIV transmission while connecting individuals to addiction treatment and care. The model later expanded statewide, demonstrating the impact of physician-led policy on public health outcomes.
Through the IDEA Lab, he continues to advance innovative, patient-centered approaches to HIV prevention and care, securing significant federal funding and achieving outcomes that exceed traditional models.
His work exhibits tenacity, kindness and a relentless pursuit of justice paired with deep compassion. This philosophy shapes both his clinical care and mentorship, inspiring generations of students, residents and faculty.
“The Miller School has given me the opportunity to do all of these extraordinary things,” said Dr. Tookes. “My classmates inspired me and my patients have shaped every idea I’ve had about how to care for them.”
Distinguished Alumni Award: Lifelong Excellence, Leadership and Service
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni whose careers reflect sustained excellence, leadership and service. It has not been presented since 2015, underscoring the exceptional caliber of this year’s recipients, Dr. Levy and Dr. Stoute.
An internationally recognized leader in cardiothoracic anesthesiology and critical care, Dr. Levy has spent decades advancing the understanding of coagulation, inflammation and organ failure.
His work has reshaped the management of bleeding and critical illness worldwide. He also helped establish the perioperative and critical care scientific subcommittee of the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis and will soon chair its global scientific committee.
With more than 580 publications and more than 100,000 citations, his influence is matched by a deep commitment to mentorship and collaboration. He credits curiosity, not intellect, as the driving force behind his success.
Dr. Levy is professor of surgery and professor emeritus of anesthesiology and critical care at Duke University School of Medicine and adjunct professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of British Columbia.
“As clinician-scientists, we want to discover things that actually make a difference,” said Dr. Levy. “It’s a privilege to influence people and help motivate them in new perspectives.”
Dr. Stoute’s career bridges scientific excellence, global health leadership and military service. An infectious disease physician and retired United States Army colonel, he has dedicated much of his career to malaria research, advancing early vaccine trials and shaping prevention strategies used across Africa.
His work in Kenya, where he witnessed malaria’s devastating impact, became a defining force in his career and drove a lifelong commitment to translating research into life-saving solutions.
Beyond science, he has built a legacy of mentorship and global collaboration. He also earned a Master of Fine Arts from UM, reflecting a rare intersection of medicine and storytelling.
He currently serves as associate chief of staff at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, and a professor of medicine at the Penn State College of Medicine.
“I received an incredible education at the Miller School that has served me well,” said Dr. Stoute. “But my greatest accomplishment is my four children. Ultimately, the legacy we leave is not only in science and medicine, but in the children we raise and the lives we shape.”
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Tags: alumni, Division of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Hansel Tookes, Infectious diseases, medical alumni, Medical Alumni Association