Darin A. Latimore, MD, was selected to receive this year’s Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Exemplary Leadership Award from the Group on Collaboration, Engagement, and Community (GCEC). Dr. Latimore is Yale School of Medicine (YSM)’s deputy dean for collaborative excellence and associate professor of General Internal Medicine.
The AAMC GCEC serves as a forum to support academic medicine at the local, regional, and national levels to cultivate an environment that values the experiences and backgrounds of all people in medicine and biomedical sciences. The Exemplary Leadership Award recognizes innovative leadership and impact in implementing an outstanding and highly effective program that demonstrates evidenced-based best practices in academic medicine and biomedical sciences.
Dean Latimore was nominated for his steadfast commitment, vision, and creation of initiatives that successfully foster inclusive excellence in academic medicine. The nomination letter from YSM Dean Nancy J. Brown, MD, states that, “he is an innovative, critical thinker, an adept problem-solver, and someone who many gravitate to for support, empathy, kindness, respectfulness, and compassion,” and that “he is a genuine champion of humanity.”
One of Dr. Latimore’s most significant contributions has been the establishment of the Advocates for Collaborative Excellence (ACEs) Advisory Council, composed of approximately 30 members representing each of the school’s departments, plus voices from the Yale New Haven Health System, the local VA hospital, and the university’s Office of the Provost. The establishment of the ACEs has provided departmental leaders with support, guidance, resources, and coordination across silos. The structure of this network has enabled members to share ideas, best practices, knowledge, upcoming events, and strategies to address challenges and promote community.
In partnership with the ACEs, Dr. Latimore developed YSM’s first diversity strategic plan, which concluded in June 2025 with the initiation of the refresh of the Yale School of Medicine Strategic Plan, resulting in novel initiatives such as Art in Public Spaces, Yale Science Fellows, Perspectives for Inclusion lecture series, Staff Appreciation & Recognition Champions (ARC) awards, and career pathway programs. As a testament to Latimore’s efforts to promote an environment where individuals feel welcomed and included, YSM’s faculty, students, and staff results on the engagement and climate surveys have improved dramatically year-over-year and relative to benchmarking. This resulted from a multipronged approach including outreach efforts, engagement of YSM community members, establishment of community building efforts, educational initiatives, and a focus on mentorship and sponsorship at every stage of the medical and academic career.
Extending beyond outcomes at YSM, Dr. Latimore is regarded as a national leader. In 2023, he received the Shine a Light on Antisemitism Civic Courage Award, and in 2025 was selected as a board member in the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). At Yale, he serves as a Yale University Title IX Coordinator and a Discrimination and Harassment Resource Coordinator, and contributes to a university-wide strategic planning committee.
The AAMC Exemplary Leadership Award will be conferred at the Group on Collaboration, Engagement, and Community (GCEC) business meeting during Learn Serve Lead: The AAMC Annual Meeting on Nov. 1 in San Antonio, Texas.