The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has awarded Indian American professor Sanjeev Arora is the 2025 Gustav O. Lienhard Award for Advancement of Health Care in recognition of his founding of the ECHO Model and Project ECHO.
The project has amplified high-quality health care delivery for millions of patients via expert-level training and a community of practice for hundreds of thousands of health care providers across the United States, according to a media release.
The award honoring Arora’s achievements with a medal and $40,000 was presented at the NAM Annual Meeting on Oct. 19.
Arora retired in July 2025 as a distinguished and Regent’s professor of medicine with tenure at the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center.
Founded in 2003, the ECHO Model leverages videoconferencing technology to provide a case-based, bidirectional learning method at no cost to health care providers who want to address urgent public health concerns in their own communities.
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Starting from a single program focused on increasing access to providers trained in hepatitis C treatment, there are now more than 1,100 active programs in the U.S. with nearly 3.5 million session attendees resulting in higher-quality treatment for nearly 43.5 million patients.
The ECHO Model has over 700 peer-reviewed publications showing its capacity to increase health care efficacy and cost savings by improving provider skills and knowledge while decreasing professional isolation and critical provider burnout.
The ECHO Model’s impact is evident in over 70 disease areas and is improving public health response in crisis areas, including HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mental health, and emergency response.
Arora’s vision has brought together partners from across the U.S. health care system, including federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, major research institutions including MD Anderson and the University of Washington, providers working with rural and underserved communities, and nursing home providers.
Additionally, Arora’s work to create and establish the ECHO Model has created an international learning community between the U.S. and nearly 80 countries, impacting 225 million patients worldwide and providing opportunities for health care providers everywhere to benefit from global expertise.
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Prior to founding Project ECHO, Arora served in various leadership positions at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, including executive vice chair and acting chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and president of the medical staff. He also served on the center’s board for five years.
Born in Nangal, India, Arora began his medical training there. In 1980, he moved to New York City and, later, Boston to study medicine and became a gastroenterologist.
“Dr. Arora’s commitment and foresight to develop Project ECHO has had a profound impact on the delivery of health care and on the lives of millions of patients, especially those who previously struggled to access care,” said NAM president Victor J. Dzau.
“His remarkable work has not only led to the transfer of specialty care knowledge to community-level clinicians, but it has also importantly relieved provider burden and reduced clinician burnout. Dr. Arora is most deserving of this award.”