The J.E. Wallace Sterling
Lifetime Achievement Award in Medicine

In the summer of 1953, J. E. Wallace Sterling, president of Stanford University, persuaded the university trustees to move the School of Medicine from San Francisco to the main Palo Alto campus. The school was moved in 1959, and was transformational in its bringing together, in one location, the resources and pioneering breakthroughs of the School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital, and Stanford University. Stanford Medicine grew steadily in national stature until it attained and now holds a respected place in the front ranks of medical education, scientific achievement, and clinical medicine.

Many years following the move to campus, retired faculty surgeon Gunther W. Nagel, MD ’21, proposed that the school establish an award in Sterling’s name to recognize a distinguished graduate. In 1983, the Stanford Medicine Alumni Association Board of Governors conferred the first J. E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award, now presented annually to a Stanford University School of Medicine MD graduate in recognition of exceptional lifetime achievement in medicine.



Video Tributes to 2023 Award Recipients

George Demetri, MD '83

Robert C. Malenka, PhD ’82, MD ’83

Video Tributes to 2022 Award Recipients

Sharon Hunt, MD ’72

Yvonne A. Maldonado, MD ’81

Video Tributes to 2021 Award Recipients

Karl Deisseroth, PhD ’98, MD ’00

D. Craig Miller, MD ’72

Video Tributes to 2019 Award Recipients

Charles A. Czeisler, PhD '78, MD '81

Michael Rutledge DeBaun MD ’87, MS ‘87

Video Tributes to 2018 Award Recipients

Lori A. Alvord, MD ’85, Resident ’91

Michael A. Caligiuri, MS ’81, MD ’83

Video Tributes to 2017 Award Recipients

Diana W. Bianchi, MD ’80

Max S. Wicha, MD ’74

Video Tributes to 2016 Award Recipients

Nancy Lee Harris, BS ’65, MD ’70

Gary K. Steinberg, PhD ’79, MD ’80

Video Tribute to 2015 Award Recipient

Linda M. Boxer, MD ’81, PhD ’81

Video Tribute to 2014 Award Recipient

Debra A. Schwinn, MD ’83

Video Tributes to 2013 Award Recipients

Linda Giudice, MD ’82

Ron Rosenfeld, MD ’73

 

 

Past Sterling Award Recipients

1983
Esther Clark, MD ’25

1984
Donald E. King, MD ’27
Carleton Mathewson Jr., MD ’27

1985
David Rytand, MD ’33

1987
Sherman Mellinkoff, MD ’44

1988
David Wood, MD ’30

1989
Gunther Nagel, MD ’21
Wilbur Hurlbut, MD ’38

1990
Roy B. Cohn, MD ’33
Robert E. Tranquada, MD ’55

1991
Alvin Cox Jr., MD ’31
Marcus A. Krupp, MD ’39

1992
Victor Richards, MD ’39
Sidney Raffel, MD ’43

1993
Cecil C. Cutting, MD ’35
William P. Creger, MD ’47

1995
Richard S. Lee, MD ’45
Peter V. Lee, MD ’47
Philip R. Lee, MD ’48
Hewlett Lee, MD ’49
Margo Lee Paulsen, MD ’53

1996
Allan Goodman, MD ’61

1998
Thomas N. Elmendorf, MD ’45
Jack McCleary, MD ’51
Robert D. Burnett, MD ’53
Eugene S. Ogrod II, MD ’70

1999
Donald Tsang, MD ’57
Norman Rich, MD ’60

2000
Irving Weissman, MD ’65

2001
F. William Blaisdell, MD ’52

2003
William R. Brody, MD ’70, PhD ’72

2004
Ronald Levy, MD ’68

2005
William Northway, MD ’57

2006
Frances K. Conley, MD ’66
Augustus A. White, III, MD ’61

2007
Linda Hawes Clever, MD ’65
J.D. Northway, MD ’60

2008
Laurence A. Boxer, MD ’66
Donald J. Prolo, III, MD ’61

2009
Paul M. Ellwood, Jr., MD ’53
Robert Schimke, MD ’58

2010
Ross D. Bright, MD ’58

2011
Diane E. Griffin, MD ’68, PhD ’70
John Griffin, MD ’68

2012
Fernando S. Mendoza, MD ’75
Jose I. Santos, MD ’75

2013
Linda C. Giudice, MD ’82
Ron G. Rosenfeld, MD ’73

2014
Debra A. Schwinn, MD ’83

2015
Linda M. Boxer, MD ’81, PhD ’81

2016
Nancy Lee Harris, BA ’65, MD ’70
Gary K. Steinberg, PhD ’79, MD ’80

2017
Diana W. Bianchi, MD '80
Max S. Wicha, MD '74

2018
Lori A. Alvord, MD ’85, Resident ’91
Michael A. Caligiuri, MS ’81, MD ’83

2019
Charles A. Czeisler, PhD ’78, MD ’81
Michael Rutledge DeBaun MD ’87, MS ’87

2021
Karl Deisseroth, PhD ’98, MD ’00
D. Craig Miller, MD ’72

2022
Sharon Hunt, MD ’72
Yvonne A. Maldonado, MD ’81

2023
George Demetri, MD '83
Robert C. Malenka, PhD ’82, MD ’83