A new Michigan State University award is named after an internal medicine faculty physician at Hurley Medical Center.
Charles Hong MD, chair of the Internal Medicine Department at MSU College of Human Medicine, said Dr. Basim Towfiq of Hurley is the first honoree.
Dr. Hong said MSU “wishes to recognize the contribution of community faculty who have demonstrated a history of consistent teaching excellence. To that end, we have created an award to recognize those individuals. The person who best exemplifies that is Dr. Towfiq. Given the inaugural nature of this award, we have decided to name the award after him so that those who receive this award in the future are aware of the level of excellence represented.”
The award was presented during a departmental meeting March 5, 2025, and Dr. Towfiq’s name will be engraved in plaques that are displayed in the MSU CHM Department of Medicine MVP Hall of Fame.
About the award:
The Dr Basim Towfiq Master Clinician Educator Award is given to a CHM Department of Medicine community non-prefix faculty who is consistently recognized by students, trainees, and peers for their exceptional clinical education of medical students and/or resident trainees, and has served the Department as a clerkship or program director for a sustained period of excellence.
Award criteria:
The nominee for this award will have the following qualifications:
Community (not MSU-employed) non-prefix faculty currently or at time of retirement
Service to the Department as an educational administrator (Clerkship director, program director, etc) for a minimum of 10 years total
Support from local and college leadership (EG CAD, lead clerkship director, DIO, etc.)
Consistently recognized for teaching excellence (awards, letters of support, etc.)
Approval from department chair
Approval from Dr Towfiq as the inaugural recipient and namesake
Award will take nominations annually and will be awarded only if a nominee is approved
About Dr. Towfiq:
Dr Towfiq, an associate professor at MSU CHM, completed his own internal medicine residency training at Hurley Medical Center and is director of the MSU CHM internal medicine clerkship for the Flint Campus. He has received 10 teaching awards, given by medical students at MSU CHM, who elect “best teachers” each graduating year. Flint serves as one of many statewide campuses for MSU CHM, and medical students regularly rotate at Hurley. This new award is different because the recipients are selected by faculty and leadership.
Dr. Towfiq said he was surprised to receive a campuswide departmental award - and doubly surprised to have it named after him.
“It’s a great honor,” he said. “I told the MSU department, ‘The reason I got it was threefold: 1) I take my educational activity as religious people take their religion. I believe in it. And I do the ritual every day. I teach every day, and I love it. 2) I adjust myself to the psychology of each individual student. … Each one has a different personality, and you treat them according to their personality. 3) To serve for 30 years is better than to serve for only 5 or 10 years. The accumulation of years automatically falls on the oldest. Every member of the faculty may deserve an award, but because I have more accumulation, that’s what happened.’”
Dr. Towfiq also learned that he will have a say in who receives the award in future years, if he’s still on the job. A Hurley Internal Medicine Residency alumnus, Dr. Towfiq joined Hurley as a faculty member in 1995, so he has served Hurley and MSU for 30 years - and he’s still energized to continue his work.
“I take my job as enjoyment - I really don’t think of it as a job,” he said.
Dr. Towfiq also credited his faculty colleagues and Hurley overall for creating a strong learning environment for all, including medical students, who consistently rank Hurley high on evaluations of their clerkships.
Philip McDonald MD, director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, said Dr Towfiq stands out for his experience, knowledge, and mentorship of students and residents who need or want extra support.
"Dr. Towfiq motivates residents and students to learn the art of medicine through his bedside teaching rounds and stimulating conference presentations," said Dr. McDonald. "He reminds us all each day that the practice of internal medicine and continuous scientific inquiry go hand in hand."
McDonald, too, thought it was fitting for MSU CHM to name the IM award after Dr. Towfiq.
"There is no clinician I can think of who better embodies the values and achievements this award seeks to recognize," he said. "To have the award named after Dr. Towfiq is a highly deserved honor. I am certain future generations of physicians will continue to be inspired by his legacy."
See Dr. Towfiq's Hurley faculty bio.
About MSU CHM Flint rotations
Annually, about 100 MSU CHM students complete their last two years of medical school on the Flint Campus, and many rotate with Dr Towfiq, who provides near-weekly didactics for students.
MSU CHM is a community-based medical school. First- and second-year students are at either the Grand Rapids or East Lansing campuses and are assigned to work in one of 90 clinics. Third- and fourth-year students are assigned specialty-specific clerkships across MSU’s eight community campuses, including the Flint Campus, which has a home base in the former Flint Journal building, across from the Flint Farmers’ Market in downtown Flint.
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