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ACGME honors educators with 'Courage to Teach' Award William Hester, M.D., an MUSC graduate and director of the MUSC-affiliated McLeod Family Practice Residency program in Florence, is among 10 physicians and only three family physicians nationwide to receive the Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This is the first award of its kind given to program directors by the ACGME. Recipients were selected based on a demonstrated commitment to education with evidence of successful mentoring, program development and improvement. Hester was nominated for the award by the family practice residents in his program. Parker J. Palmer is the author of the book “Courage to Teach,” and a traveling teacher whose promotion of the concept “living divided no more” has proven relevant to teaching in academic health centers. Hester has been director of the McLeod Family Practice Residency since 1980 and is Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at MUSC.