Meet the 2026 Awardee: Iman R. Sami, MD
Iman Sami, MD, MRCP is a pediatric pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist at Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University, School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
She received her medical education at the University of Khartoum in Sudan and at St. Thomas’ Medical School in London, followed by pediatric training and certification in the United Kingdom. She subsequently completed pediatric residency training at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Norfolk, VA and a fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonology at Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC.
Dr. Sami has served as the Program Director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship at Children’s National Hospital since 2001. During this time, she has mentored more than forty pediatric pulmonary fellows. The impact of her mentorship is evident in the success of her trainees, many of whom now serve as Division Chiefs, Cystic Fibrosis Center Directors, Program Directors, and academic leaders across the country. Dr. Sami’s educational leadership centered on the development of a rigorous and continually evolving fellowship curriculum, with a strong emphasis on pulmonary physiology and airway biology, as well as a comprehensive and highly structured board preparation program that has become a defining strength of the fellowship at Children’s National Hospital.
She has served as a question writer for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Board of Pediatrics. She has been a member of the American Thoracic Society for more than 3 decades and is a active in the Pediatric and Sleep Respiratory Neurobiology (SRN) assemblies.
Her clinical interests include cystic fibrosis, non-CF bronchiectasis and lung disease in patients with sickle cell anemia. Dr. Sami is also passionate about teaching medical students and residents, and introducing them to pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine. She is grateful to the many fellows from whom she has learnt a lot, and who have given her the opportunity to be a part of their learning and professional journey..
Description
The Pediatric Clinician Educator Award recognizes a candidate at the late Assistant or Associate Professor level for their outstanding and innovative clinical and teaching abilities.
Criteria
- A letter from the person submitting the nomination describing the candidate’s skills.
- The candidate to be a member of the ATS.
- The nominee’s curriculum vitae.
- Up to three letters of support from current or past trainees. There may be co-signatories, but no more than three letters will be accepted.