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Punjab born doctor awarded the Gustav O. Lienhard Award in US
Dr. Sanjeev Arora was recognized for founding Project ECHO, a model that amplified high-quality health care delivery for millions of patients via technology.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Thu, 06, Nov 2025
- 23:32 EST
- 18
Dr. Sanjeev Arora / Dr. Sanjeev Arora via LinkedIn
Dr. Sanjeev Arora has been awarded the 2025 Gustav O. Lienhard Award for Advancement of Health Care by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for founding Project ECHO, a model that expanded access to high-quality health care for millions of patients through technology.
Dr. Arora, a retired professor of medicine with tenure at the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center, was recognized for creating the ECHO Model and Project ECHO. The initiative has strengthened care delivery nationwide by providing expert-level training and building a community of practice for hundreds of thousands of health care providers across the United States.
The award includes a medal and a $40,000 prize, presented to Dr. Arora during the NAM Annual Meeting.
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Founded by Arora in 2003, the ECHO model uses videoconferencing to connect specialists with local health care providers through a case-based learning approach. The program helps clinicians tackle public health challenges in their communities. It currently operates more than 1,100 active programs across the U.S., with nearly 3.5 million session attendees, improving treatment quality for about 43.5 million patients.
Before founding Project ECHO, Arora held several leadership roles at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, including executive vice chair of internal medicine and president of the medical staff.
Born in Nangal, Punjab, India, Arora began his medical training at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune before completing his residency at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. He moved to the United States in 1980 and completed his surgical residency at Maimonides Medical Center in New York, later becoming a gastroenterologist in New York and Boston.
NAM President Victor J. Dzau praised Arora’s contributions, saying, “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.”
Dzau added, “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.”
Expressing gratitude for the recognition, Arora said he was “deeply honored” to receive the Gustav O. Lienhard Award. “This recognition belongs to so many people and teams who have made the work of Project ECHO possible and meaningful — thank you for sharing the journey,” he said.
Reflecting on the mission behind Project ECHO, Arora added, “By democratizing the implementation of expert knowledge, we can build a more just and equitable world where geography or wealth no longer determines who receives the best care.”
Arora is the 40th recipient of the Gustav O. Lienhard Award, which is given annually to recognize outstanding national achievement in improving personal health care in the United States. The award is supported by an endowment from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.was recognized for founding Project ECHO, a model that amplified high-quality health care delivery for millions of patients via technology.
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