Erin Kavanaugh Selected for National Family Medicine Leadership Award
2027 ADFM Catalyst Award honors contributions to physician education, leadership and scholarship
Erin Kavanaugh, M.D., FAAFP, chair of ChristianaCare’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, has been selected for the 2027 Catalyst Award for Academic Achievement and Leadership in Family Medicine from the Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM).
The national award recognizes sustained contributions to academic family medicine through scholarship, leadership and service. Kavanaugh will be recognized at the organization’s annual conference in Salt Lake City in February 2027.
Ashley Panichelli, M.D., vice chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, nominated Kavanaugh for the award.
“Erin is an exemplary academic family physician who embodies excellence across leadership, education, scholarship, and advocacy,” Panichelli said.
Throughout her career, Kavanaugh has helped prepare physicians for practice and develop emerging leaders. Before becoming department chair, she served as program director of ChristianaCare’s Family Medicine Residency and co-director of its combined Emergency Medicine/Family Medicine Residency.
Her teaching has earned the Sidney Kimmel Medical College Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education and the Delaware Academy of Family Physicians Teacher of the Year Award.
Earlier this year, she was elected to ADFM’s board of directors as a member-at-large. The organization represents more than 150 academic departments of family medicine nationwide, supporting leaders in care, education, scholarship and advocacy.
“Erin exemplifies the highest ideals of academic medicine through her outstanding leadership, dedication to education, and unwavering advocacy for patients,” said Brian Levine, M.D., ChristianaCare’s chief academic officer and designated institutional official. “This recognition reflects the lasting impact she has made on learners, colleagues, and the communities she serves.”
Kavanaugh’s work also extends to workforce development and health equity. She has served as an American Academy of Family Physicians Health Equity Fellow and as president and board chair of the Delaware Academy of Family Physicians.