George Eastman Medal
Recognizing those who make Rochester ever better
Past recipients
Explore the sortable table below for a full list of previous George Eastman Medal winners.
Year | Recipient | Achievement | Occasion |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Diane M. Hartmann ’87M (MD), ’91M (Res) | A national leader in efforts to improve medical residency and fellowship education at the University’s Medical Center, where she also oversaw a near doubling in the number of programs and trainees during the past 30 years. | University Commencement |
2022 | Brenda D. Lee | Pioneer in understanding the impact of racial inequities and developing solutions to combat them, especially for people who have been historically excluded from educational opportunities such as medical school. | University Commencement |
2021 | Geena Davis | Academy and Golden Globe Award winner and advocate for gender equality | University-wide Commencement for the Class of 2020, October 2021 |
2021 | John “Dutch” Summers | CEO of Jasco Tools and chairman Graywood Companies; Dedicated service to strengthening regional economy and community | TBD |
2020 | Nancy Robbins | Instrumental in founding Rochester’s Ronald McDonald House and critical supporter to UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital | TBD |
2019 | Barbara Iglewski | Chair Emeritus of Microbiology and Immunology, Member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame | SMD Commencement |
2019 | Donna Strickland | 2019 Nobel Prize Recipient in Physics | College Commencement |
2018 | Seymour I. Schwartz ’57M (Res) | Distinguished Alumni Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine and Dentistry; one of the nation’s foremost medical educators | SMD Commencement |
2018 | Margaret Georgiadis | Internationally recognized executive and leader in technology and innovation; CEO of Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics | College Commencement Speaker |
2017 | The Ganatra Family | Global philanthropists | AS&E Commencement |
2016 | Edmund A. Hajim | Chair of the University of Rochester Board of Trustees for the last eight years and outstanding career in finance | AS&E Commencement |
2016 | G. Robert Witmer, Jr. | Board Chair Emeritus; career achievements and his service to the University and the Rochester-area communities | Special Board of Trustees dinner in New York City |
2016 | Joseph Morelle | New York State Assembly Majority Leader | AS&E Commencement |
2015 | E. Philip Saunders | Entrepreneur; instrumental in reshaping the travel center industry | SMD Commencement |
2015 | James E. Darnell, Jr. | Vincent Astor Professor Emeritus at the Rockefeller University; made discoveries about gene activation that have influenced modern approaches to cancer treatment | SMD Cancer Center colloquium |
2014 | Theophano Mitsa | Alumna; pioneer in imaging science; data scientist | University event to recognize the impact of the blue noise mask |
2014 | Kevin Parker | Emeritus, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; pioneering work as an engineer and biomedical scientist | University event to recognize the impact of the blue noise mask |
2014 | Evelyn V. (Lynne) Lovejoy | Civic leader and philanthropist | Memorial Art Gallery; on the occasion of her 100th birthday celebration |
2013 | Steven Chu | 1997 Nobel laureate in Physics, former U.S. secretary of energy, and former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | AS&E Commencement |
2013 | Harold and Joan Feinbloom | Civic leaders and philanthropists | AS&E Commencement |
2013 | Wendell Castle | Internationally recognized sculptor and furniture maker | Dedication of the Centennial Sculpture Park at the Memorial Art Gallery |
2013 | Albert Paley | Internationally recognized sculptor | Dedication of the Centennial Sculpture Park at the Memorial Art Gallery |
2012 | Arthur Moss | Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine and Dentistry | SMD Commencement |
2011 | John H. Bruning | UR Trustee; Retired President and CEO of Corning Tropel Corporation | AS&E Commencement |
2011 | Ursula Burns | UR Life Trustee; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xerox Corporation | AS&E Commencement |
2011 | Eric Kandel | Director, Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University; Director, Center for Neurobiology & Behavior, New York University Medical School; 2000 Nobel Prize recipient in Physiology or Medicine | Distinguished Neuroscience Speaker Series Lecture, School of Medicine and Dentistry |
2010 | William Scott Green | Sr. Vice Provost, Dean of Undergraduate Education, and Professor of Religious Studies, University of Miami | College Commencement |
2010 | Daniel Wegman | UR Trustee; Chief Executive Officer, Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. | College Commencement |
2009 | Stanley Prusiner | 1997 Nobel Laureate in Medicine; Director, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Professor of Neurology and Biochemistry, UCSF | Distinguished Neuroscience Speaker Series Lecture, School of Medicine and Dentistry |
2009 | Louise Slaughter | Congresswoman (DNY-28) ; Chair, House Rules Committee | College Commencement |
2009 | Carola B. Eisenberg | Co-founder, Physicians for Human Rights; 1997 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for campaign to ban land mines | SMD Commencement |
2009 | William Bonnez | Development of vaccine to prevent cervical cancer | SMD Commencement |
2009 | Richard Reichmann | Development of vaccine to prevent cervical cancer | SMD Commencement |
2009 | Robert Rose | Development of vaccine to prevent cervical cancer | SMD Commencement |
2008 | Arvid Carlsson | Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology, Göteborg University in Sweden; 2000 Nobel Prize recipient in Physiology or Medicine | Distinguished Neuroscience Speaker Series Lecture, School of Medicine and Dentistry |
2006 | Robert H. Hurlbut | President, Hurlbut Trust, and UR Trustee | Dr. Bradford Berk’s Investiture |
2005 | Carl Schramm | President and CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation | College Commencement |
2004 | Joseph C. Wilson ’31 | Founder, Xerox Corporation | Meliora Weekend |
2003 | Garth Fagan | Founder and Artistic Director, Garth Fagan Dance, Inc. | Meliora Weekend |
2003 | Ralph Snyderman, M.D. | President and CEO, Duke University Health Systems | SMD Commencement |
2002 | Ted Turner | Founder, Cable News Network (CNN) | Meliora Weekend |
2001 | Glenda T. Lappan | Professor, Mathematics – Michigan State University | Dean Raffaella Borasi’s Investiture |
2000 | Mark L. Schneider | Director, Peace Corps | River Campus Commencement |