Michael Curci '67: Gold Medalist for Excellence in Clinical Medicine

Michael Curci, MD, FACS, was presented with the Gold Medal for Excellence in Clinical Medicine at the VP&S Alumni Reunion on April 24, 2026, in New York City.

Dr. Curci is a pediatric surgeon whose decades-long commitment to global surgical care has expanded access to essential treatment and training in underserved regions around the world. Through sustained, hands-on engagement, he has helped build local surgical capacity in countries where specialized care was previously limited or unavailable, particularly in Tanzania and Rwanda.

His international service began in 1967 during a tropical medicine rotation in Liberia while he was a medical student at VP&S. Later in his career, he traveled annually to Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti, where he helped strengthen surgical services and train local providers. After retiring as director of pediatric surgery at Maine Medical Center, Dr. Curci expanded his work in East Africa, spending extended periods in Tanzania as one of only two surgeons serving a population of two million people while training non-physician clinicians to perform essential procedures. Beginning in 2013, he worked in Rwanda through the Human Resources for Health Program of United States Agency for International Development, helping develop surgical training programs and establish pediatric surgical capacity where none previously existed.

A graduate of the VP&S Class of 1967, Dr. Curci has dedicated his career to mentorship, training, and the long-term strengthening of surgical systems, leaving a lasting impact on both patients and the global surgical workforce.

This award honors alumni with notable achievements in clinical medicine that significantly advance healthcare outcomes. Learn more about the VP&S Alumni Association’s annual awards program and submit a nomination anytime for yourself or a fellow alum.