In November 2022 we at Birgit Rausing Centre för Medical Humanities saw an announcement:
“Do you know an inspiring leader and/or a good role model within the Medical faculty?”
We: Yes… we certainly do!
The question came from Future Faculty. Future Faculty is an organisation of researchers with a doctoral degree (PhD), who have not yet obtained a permanent/tenured position. The aim of Future Faculty is to improve the conditions for young researchers at the Faculty of Medicine and to promote development of a career system at all levels. And they award academic leaders within the Medical faculty with the Minerva Award.
So what did we do? We nominated Martin. Martin Garwicz, our very own centre director. Of course we did, he embodies all the criteria for the award: he is a good role model, who leads by example and raises the bar for academic integrity. He also stands (up) for academic values Honesty, Trust, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, and Courage.
After a long and thorough nomination and vetting process including an external review committee, we are now finally in a position to reveal the happy news: Martin Garwicz is rewarded the Minerva Leadership Award!
Future Faculty’s Minerva award selection committee’s motivation for the choice is:
“Martin Garwicz is a remarkable and widely admired individual who excels as a leader, teacher, mentor, and colleague. He is appreciated for the openness and positive atmosphere he creates there, and the way he inspired others to do their best. His genuine commitment to fairness was reflected in treating diverse groups as equals and in making sure everyone at the table gets a say. Martin has successfully established a culture of openness and trans-faculty collaboration between researchers, earning the respect and trust of those around him. His embodiment of the core values promoted by the Minerva Leadership Award – honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage – is truly remarkable.”
For us, this is like the Oscars, only better!