About the Award
The Dr. Robert L. Willenkin Award (known as the Best Medical Student in Anesthesiology award before 2017) is given annually to the best fourth-year University of Pittsburgh medical student in recognition of their outstanding knowledge, technical skill, and scholarly excellence in the field of anesthesiology.
Recipients are chosen by our residency program’s Recruitment and Selection Committee. Awards are announced in May at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Senior Awards Ceremony.
- Recipients
- 2025 – Andrew Wills
- 2024 - Roger Tieu
- 2023 - Eileen Nguyen
- 2022 - Kody Armann
- 2021 - Alexander Stavros
- 2020 – Krupa Patel
- 2019 - Jamie Huynh
- 2018 – Chelsea Meenan
- 2017 - Ragini Gupta
- 2016 - Dan Bintrim
- 2015 - Talora Steen
- 2014 - Gabrielle Paoletti
- 2013 - Benjamin Cobb
- 2012 - Dionne Okafor
- 2011 - Rachel Wang
- 2010 - Robert Groff
About Dr. Robert Willenkin
This award was named in honor of Robert L. Willenkin, MD, a distinguished anesthesiologist and former Vice Chair of our department.
A renowned educator and leader in anesthesiology, Dr. Willenkin earned his medical degree from SUNY Downstate before joining the University of Pittsburgh in 1982, following roles at Yale University, Albany Medical College and University of California San Francisco. During his tenure from 1982 to 1996, he served as Residency Program Director and Vice Chair for Education and spearheaded innovative curricular developments, including problem-based learning approaches and structured leadership retreats. He retired from the University of Pittsburgh as Professor Emeritus in 1996.
As a founding member of the Inter-Hospital Study Group for Anesthesia Education (ISGAE), the Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA) and the Workshop on Teaching (WOT), Dr. Willenkin has made substantial contributions to anesthesiology education nationwide.
In addition to the many generous donations Dr. Willenkin has made to our department to support education, in 2024 he committed $25,000 to the department to establish an endowment, ensuring long-term support for this award.
The department extends its sincere gratitude to Dr. Willenkin for his enduring commitment to advancing anesthesiology education at the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC and beyond.