The Gary J. Tucker Career Teaching Award, named in honor of the Chair of our department from 1985 through 1997, recognizes exceptional career achievement in teaching and education and honors Dr. Tucker’s significant contributions to our academic programs, his leadership and dedication as a teacher, clinician, and scholar, his love of teaching, and his ability to inspire and encourage trainees.

The award is given to a member of the academic or clinical faculty who has demonstrated, throughout his or her career, outstanding skills as a teacher and dedication to education. This year, the award was given to Heidi Combs, MD.

Dr. Combs loves to teach and has a stellar record of exceptional, very highly rated teaching of medical students, residents, faculty, physicians in practice and other learners. She was an outstanding leader of medical student education in our department and was recognized as Teacher Superior in Perpetuity by the UW School of Medicine in 2013. This honor, held by only 21 other teachers in the School’s history, is bestowed upon those who have received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the graduating class four times. She is intimately involved in the education of psychiatry residents and is a founding faculty member of the Clinician-Teacher Pathway for our residency program. She regularly educates primary care providers on detection and treatment of psychiatric illnesses in primary settings and has a long record of significant accomplishment and recognition in faculty development (including the Stern Endowed Chair). She is also a superb role model and mentor. Dr. Combs assumed the role of Vice Chair of Education in 2020 and in that role, she oversees all educational efforts for our department.

Past recipients of the award include Jack Carr, PhD, Johan Verhulst, MD, Chris Varley, MD, Joan Romano, PhD, Deb Cowley, MD, Dick Miyoshi, RPh, Marcella Pascualy, MD, Elizabeth McCauley, PhD and Andrew Saxon, MD.