The Arky Award

Ron Arky, MD Professor of Medicine and Director of the Francis Peabody Society at the Harvard University School of Medicine, has been a steadfast leader and supporter of medicine school learning communities.

Ron has also been an important benefactor for the LCI, providing a generous gift to enable us to being as an organizations.

This award is names after Dr. Arky as a means to continually appreciate his contributions to the LCI and to the learning communities movement. This award is given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the development of learning communities in medical education.

  • Professor of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine

  • Founding Co-Director of the Learning Communities Program

  • Instrumental in the Learning Communities Institute since its early years and incorporation, he has served as a member of the Leadership Council and was longtime co-chair of the faculty development committee. He participated in numerous consultations with other schools launching LCs and created and compiled resources for medical education colleagues.

  • Served as Chair of the Research Network, involved in numerous research efforts around the learning communities movement and its impact.

  • 2023: Jason Noah, MEd

    2022: Lars Osterberg, MD

    2021: James Wagner, MD

    2019: Amy Fleming, MD

    2018: Meg Keely, MD

    2017: Peter Denson, MD

    2016: Erika Goldstein, MD

    2015: Robert Shochet, MD

Susan Shultz Award for Professional Staff

Since the inception and formation of the LCI, Susan Shultz has played an invaluable role in contributing to the success of the organization. As the LCI Administrator, Susan has provided key organization support, as well as being a key member of the leadership team. Moreover, Susan has provided consistency to the organization, and serves a reminder that our most precious asset are the people who are part of the LCI, and she models the ideals of service, relationship, caring, and compassion, that are at the heart of the organization. 

In 2021, Ron Arky, made a generous contribution to the LCI for the establishment of this award, to honor Susan’s legacy and to recognize professional staff, at the various LCI institutions, who make a significant contribution of the development of learning communities on their local campuses, in the LCI, and the broader medical education community.


  • 2023: Julie Calcavecchia

    2022: Lauren Parker

    2021: Susan Shultz

  • Creative and strategic force behind the Academic Houses at the University of Arkansas Medical School.

  • “Ms. Vanecko often goes above and beyond the call of duty. Her day-to-day work involves sustaining systems that keep the entire medical school organized. Because of the complexity of the curriculum, she keeps being asked to take on more responsibilities, and she does so with passion and attention to detail. As if this wasn’t enough, she functions as a resource of information and assistance to essentially any/all of the medical students in regards to advising, connecting the faculty house advisors, organizing all Academic House events, and more. The hundreds of students in the college of medicine have benefitted from her never ending desire to help, her motivation, and her expertise. She is truly an exemplar in the field. She is a tireless worker and a compassionate human being.”