Mark L. Graber Diagnostic Quality Award
The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) has established the annual Mark L. Graber Diagnostic Quality Award to be presented to a person, group, or organization that has made important contributions to the reduction of diagnostic error.
The award recognizes either a total body of work (“lifetime achievement”) or a significant contribution in the field. The nominee can have had influence in the fields of education, research, practice improvement, patient engagement, and/or policy.
The award was named in honor of Mark L. Graber, MD, FACP, the founder of the Diagnostic Error in Medicine conference series and SIDM. Mark served as the SIDM President from 2011 through 2018, and his contributions constitute the foundations of our field and the focus on diagnostic quality and safety. Mark received the first Mark L. Graber Diagnostic Quality Award at the 2018 Diagnostic Error in Medicine Conference in recognition of his many achievements and his impact on the field of diagnostic quality and safety.
2021 Award Recipient - Laura Zwaan, PhD
Laura Zwaan, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Medical Education Research Rotterdam (iMERR) of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. Dr. Zwaan is a cognitive psychologist and epidemiologist and obtained a PhD degree from the VU University in Amsterdam. Her research focuses on clinical reasoning and the cognitive causes of diagnostic errors. Dr. Zwaan has received several grants and awards for her research. She initiated the European Diagnostic Error in Medicine conferences and was the main organizer and chair of the 1st European conference in Rotterdam in 2016 and the co-chair for the conference in Bern, Switzerland (2018). She is an active member of the SIDM as scientific committee member for the Diagnostic Error in Medicine conferences (2011-2018) and served as the SIDM research committee chair (2015-2017). Read more
2020 Award Recipient - Carmel Crock, MD
Dr. Crock is an emergency physician and director of the Emergency Department at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. She is an associate professor at the University of Melbourne and Chair of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Quality and Patient Safety committee. Her education and research interests include preventing diagnostic error, improving healthcare culture and communication, and exploring the relationship between physician wellbeing and patient safety. Read more
In nominating her for the honor, colleagues noted:
“Her continued work to improve diagnostic error, and her commitment to the upcoming generation of diagnostic researchers are a testament to her contribution to reducing diagnostic error now and in the future.”
Past Award Winners
SIDM Presents Mark L. Graber Diagnostic Quality Award to Laura Zwaan, PhD
Laura Zwaan, PhD has been named the 2021 recipient of the Mark L. Graber Diagnostic Quality Award. The Award Review Committee selected Dr. Zwaan for her research, advocacy and leadership in the field as well as her efforts to expand the field of diagnostic quality and safety internationally.