Eric Ayers, M.D., associate professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been selected to receive the Jerry Yee Mentorship Award from the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Physicians.

Nominees for the Jerry Yee Mentorship Award are Internal Medicine physicians with a “demonstrated commitment to supporting the scholarly and professional advancement of their students, trainees and junior colleagues. They should demonstrate consistent and high-quality mentoring in clinical research, post-graduate scholarship or professional development.”

They also must serve as role models of communication and relationship management, demonstrate a commitment to the professional growth and psychological well-being of mentees, and the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion in supporting mentees.

“Over the last few years, I have been the recipient of multiple accolades, recognition and honors. In each of these acknowledgements, I have been humbled and received the rewards and smelled the flowers of years of dedication, commitment and growth,” said Dr. Ayers, who also serves as director of Mentoring and Engagement in the Office of Student Affairs, section chief of Med-Peds and associate director of Transitional Medicine. “I am glad to serve those I teach, care for and interact with daily. Without the love of a vast and diverse family, colleagues and friends, I would not be in a position to accept this honor.”

Dr. Ayers, a 1989 graduate of the WSU School of Medicine, is the second recipient of the award. Last year, the inaugural Jerry Yee Mentorship Award was presented to Noreen Rossi, M.D., professor of the WSU Department of Physiology. Dr. Ayers was Dr. Rossi’s first medical student.

“By helping learners from all cultures and ethnicities find their own paths and shape their own careers you have been instrumental in so many lives. Be aware that your actions and thoughtful discernments have also mentored many of those who would be considered your senior peers, including myself,” Dr. Rossi wrote to Dr. Ayers in informing him of his selection for the award. “I have always imagined that mentoring, like knowledge, passes from generation to generation. Your award is a testimony that this may well be the case, and I fully expect your mentees to thrive and find their own success as you have found yours.”

The School of Medicine, in 2019, honored Dr. Ayers as Alumni of the Year. The Department of Internal Medicine gave him the 2014 John O'Connell Award for Diversity for his advocacy. He has received national and local recognition for his commitment to teaching, humanism and community service, including the Pfizer Humanism in Medicine Award in 2004 and the Leonard Tow Award in 2006 for humanism in medicine from the Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society.

His research interests include hypertension, issues regarding sexuality, adolescent health, men’s health, asthma and lung disease, transitional care, and resident life issues.

Jerry Yee, M.D., was the division head of Nephrology and Hypertension at Henry Ford Hospital and chief medical officer of Greenfield Health Systems. He was a clinical professor at the School of Medicine. In the field of Nephrology, Dr. Yee was considered a master clinician who devoted his career to educating and mentoring students and nephrologists. He died in 2022.