Tara Lagu awarded prestigious Master in Hospital Medicine

Tara Lagu, MD, MPH, MHM, (center) being presented with the Master in Hospital Medicine at the Society of Hospital Medicine Convergence in San Diego, California.

April 22, 2024

Tara Lagu, MD, MPH, MHM, director of the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research and professor of Medicine and Medical Social Sciences, was named a Master in Hospital Medicine by the Society of Hospital Medicine (SMH) this month, joining a select group of only 46 physicians to carry the title.

The designation is awarded annually to professionals of exceptional merit working within the hospital medicine community who have made remarkable and significant contributions to the field.

"My membership in the Society of Hospital Medicine has been critical to my academic career, so it is an incredible honor that they have chosen me as one of a few to receive their highest level of recognition,” said Lagu. “This award is acknowledgement of not just my work but the incredible support and mentorship I have received throughout my career. I intend to pay this incredible support forward in my service to my own mentees."

Lagu was elected in recognition of her leadership, service and innovations to advance the field of hospital medicine. Having earned her MD and master’s in public health from Yale University School of Medicine in 2002, Lagu currently serves as a professor in the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She also serves as director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine’s Center of Health Services and Outcomes Research.

Lagu has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals, including a recently published study showing that physicians often feel overwhelmed by the demands of practicing medicine and struggle to accommodate patients with disabilities. This study was featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic and NPR’s Science Friday.

“She is also an exceptional teacher, providing mentorship to numerous students, residents and fellows throughout her career,” said SHM outgoing president Kris Rehm, MD, SFHM, who presented the awards. “Her inspirational leadership, willingness to push boundaries and trailblazing research make Dr. Lagu a model for academic hospitalist leaders.”

The Society of Hospital Medicines is the leading medical community for hospitalists, clinicians whose primary focus is the general medical care of hospitalized patients. SHM is a member-based organization dedicated to promoting excellence in the practice of hospital medicine and professional growth through education, quality improvement, advocacy and research.