Eric Ayers, M.D., associate professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, will be recognized for his national leadership in Medicine-Pediatrics by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine in 2024.

During the alliance’s Academic Internal Medicine Week 2024, to be held April 14-17, in Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Ayers will receive the Medicine Pediatrics Program Directors Association Leadership in Med-Peds Award. The MPPDA is the organization of accredited Internal Medicine-Pediatric residency programs in the United States.

The MPPDA Leadership in Med-Peds Award is presented to the physician who has made significant contribution to Medicine-Pediatrics as a profession.

“To be able to lead and train others to achieve their dreams, to believe in themselves and be diamonds, has been my focus as a physician. To be honored for doing this is indeed a tremendous honor. It shows that we can all make a difference,” said Dr. Ayers, a 1989 graduate of the School of Medicine. “I accept this award on behalf of the schools that gave me a chance, the teachers who believed in me, and the residents and students who allowed me to teach them as they taught me. And along the way, I have honored them with respect, love and teaching the art of medicine.”

Dr. Ayers  is program director of the combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Training Program, and director of Mentoring and Student Engagement through the Office of Student Affairs.

Recipients of the MPPDA Leadership in Med-Peds Award must be outstanding in their clinical field, contributed significantly to the education of Medicine-Pediatrics residents and support the development and betterment of the discipline.

The Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine promotes the advancement and professional development of members who prepare the next generation of Internal Medicine physicians.