Iman Sami, MD, receives 2026 ATS Pediatric Clinician Educator Award
“Dr. Sami’s impact as a clinician educator is extraordinary,” said Gustavo Nino, MD, chief of the Division of Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine.
Iman Sami, MD, pulmonologist, sleep medicine specialist and program director of the Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship at Children’s National Hospital, has been selected by the American Thoracic Society Assembly on Pediatrics to receive the 2026 Pediatric Clinician Educator Award. She was formally recognized at the 2026 ATS International Conference.
The national award recognizes excellence and innovation in clinical education, mentorship and curriculum development – a distinction regarded as one of the highest honors for pediatric educational leadership in pulmonary and sleep medicine.
Dr. Sami’s passion for teaching is rooted in the influence of her own mentors, the curiosity of her trainees and her belief that education is inseparable from excellent patient care. Her longstanding commitment to mentorship and training has had a lasting national impact on pediatric pulmonary education.
“Dr. Sami’s impact as a clinician educator is extraordinary,” said Gustavo Nino, MD, chief of the Division of Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine. “For nearly 25 years, she has devoted her professional life to the education, mentorship and clinical training of pediatric pulmonary fellows and her influence is reflected in the leadership roles her trainees now hold at institutions across the country.”
About Dr. Sami
Dr. Sami has served as program director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship since 2001 and helped establish and maintain the program’s accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Her educational approach is shaped by a broad international background, including medical education at the University of Khartoum in Sudan and St. Thomas’ Medical School in London. She went on to complete her pediatric residency training at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and a pediatric pulmonology fellowship at Children’s National Hospital, where she joined the faculty in 1996.
Over the span of her career, Dr. Sami has mentored more than 40 pediatric pulmonary fellows, many of whom now serve as division chiefs, fellowship program directors and academic leaders nationwide. Former trainees describe her as a thoughtful educator who encourages clinical reasoning, independence and compassionate patient care.
A hallmark of Dr. Sami’s leadership has been her development of a rigorous fellowship curriculum in pulmonary physiology and airway biology that connects foundational science with advances in genetics, molecular biology and disease mechanisms.
She also developed a structured board preparation program to help fellows prepare for the pediatric pulmonary subspecialty board certification exam. The program includes a comprehensive question bank, mock board examinations and individualized review sessions that mirror the format and rigor of the certifying exam. The initiative has strengthened board readiness for both current fellows and alumni participating remotely from institutions across the country.
In addition, Dr. Sami has contributed nationally to physician education and assessment as a question writer for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Board of Pediatrics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she expanded remote teaching sessions to support fellows and alumni across multiple institutions, helping strengthen collaboration and continuing education within the pediatric pulmonary community.
