Imperial educator earns prestigious international award for medical education

Dr Stefano Sandrone has been awarded a coveted Miriam Friedman Ben-David Award by the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).

Dr Sandrone, Principal Teaching Fellow in the Department of Brain Sciences, has been recognised for his outstanding contributions within the field of health professions education. 

The award’s aim is to reward excellence in the field since 2008. It honours the legacy of Miriam Friedman Ben-David, a pioneering leader in medical education, and celebrates excellence and noteworthy achievements in the field, continuing Miriam’s passion for supporting and inspiring young educators. AMEE aims to promote and inspire excellence, collaboration, and scholarship across the continuum of health professions education. It has more than 5,000 members from 90 nations, across all career stages and spanning all disciplines in medical education. 

Commenting on his award, Dr Sandrone said: “I am honoured and delighted! I am grateful to AMEE: like neurons in the brain, we can achieve fantastic results only by creating ‘new synapses’. I am inspired by teaching the next generations of neuroscientists at Imperial College London and keen on continuing to shape the future of medical education globally, with enthusiasm and competence’’. 

Stefano is an Italian neuroscientist and an international leader in neuroscience and medical education. He has won several international awards over the years, including the Science Educator Award by the Society for Neuroscience in 2019 and the A. B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award from the American Academy of Neurology in 2020 and 2024. Moreover, he has held leadership roles in major national and international committees, including at the Italian Ministry of Health and the European Health Parliament. 

At Imperial, he is the co-director of the MRes Experimental Neuroscience and the MSc Translational Neuroscience programmes within the Faculty of Medicine. He is also a Senior Tutor and Welfare Tutor and has teaching responsibilities and leadership roles at the departmental, faculty and university level.

Far-reaching impact 

Dr Sandrone’s impact on the learning experience offered at Imperial has been multifaceted. He has been actively engaged over several years with innovation in developing new curricula and educational opportunities, incorporating advanced technologies, diverse perspectives, and addressing varied learner needs. He has also been the leader of various innovative scholarly projects on several topics, including active learning, professional identity, AI and metaverse. 

The Award has been officially presented at a formal celebration event in Basel this week.

On announcing this year’s Award recipient, Professor Madalena Patricio, Chair of the Award Committee, said: “In reaching this decision, the Committee recognised Stefano as an impressive young educator making remarkable contributions to education with a far-reaching impact. He has also secured remarkable publications on education in esteemed journals such as Nature Medicine and Cell, demonstrating a high impact in his field. 

“His dedication and achievements stand out, making him a rising star. Miriam was passionate about nurturing young educators to achieve their full potential, and we are confident she would wholeheartedly support the Committee's decision.”