Awards and Scholarships

The Department of Surgery has four awards to honor graduating medical students. Awards are given at the Annual School of Medicine Honors Convocation in May. Two students are awarded George Packard Awards for Outstanding Performance in Surgery and one student is awarded the Owens-Swan Award for Outstanding Promise in Surgery. Names of potential awardees are selected by the Awards Committee. Awardees must have matched into a general surgery residency program and have high marks in fourth year surgery courses. Each awardee receives a monetary award and a crystal trophy. 

The Alden Harken Clinical Research Award and the Alden Harken Basic Science Research Award are given to graduating medical students for research conducted while medical students at CU. Students apply for the awards and the honorees are selected by the Research Awards Committee. Awardees receive a certificate and a monetary award.

The John E. DeLauro, MD, Department of Surgery Medical Scholarship was first awarded in 2011. This scholarship is given to a current fourth year medical student who has documented academic achievement during the first two years of medical school and has demonstrated an interest in pursuing a career in general surgery. If no general surgery candidates are available, the scholarship may be given to students who demonstrate an interest in cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, or urology. Preference is given to candidates who are graduates of Colorado high schools.

Department of Surgery's Medical Student Program annually gives the Golden Apple Awards, which recognize a faculty member and a chief resident for their teaching of third and fourth year medical students. Honorees receive a crystal trophy.

The Medical Student Surgical Society honors an outstanding faculty member each year, awarding the Ben Eiseman, MD, Surgical Faculty Teaching Excellence Award to a surgeon at one of CU's teaching hospitals.