Salahuddin “Dino” Kazi, M.D., Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Internal Medicine, is a recipient of the 2026 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The award commends program directors who foster innovation and improvement in their programs and serve as exemplary role models for residents.

Among the highest honors in medical education, the Palmer Award is given to just 10 program directors nationally across all medical and surgical specialties. Dr. Kazi is the second UTSW faculty member to date to receive the award, following Preston Blomquist, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology, in 2020.

“No award in education belongs to an individual,” said Dr. Kazi, a member of the Division of Rheumatic Diseases and Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency. “It belongs to the community that sustains the learning – the faculty who model professionalism, the residents who bring energy and insight, the staff members who hold the place together, and the patients who trust us with their care.”

Dr. Kazi also was recently named Program Director of the Year by UT Southwestern’s Graduate Medical Education office.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Kazi as an integral member of our leadership team,” said Ezra Burstein, M.D., Ph.D., Interim Chair and Professor of Internal Medicine. “In addition to his numerous contributions to the Department, his unwavering dedication to mentoring trainees and faculty alike is of paramount importance for our partner institutions and the communities and the patients they serve.”

The 2026 Palmer Award recipients will be formally recognized in February at the 2026 ACGME Annual Educational Conference in San Diego.