On November 14, 2025, Nigar Kirmani, MD, professor of medicine, was honored at the Semi-Annual General Staff Meeting and presented with the BJH Medical Staff Association Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital with over 25 years of distinguished service, honoring their exceptional contributions, leadership, teaching, and patient care.
This award signifies Dr. Kirmani’s deep commitment to the BJH network, often highlighting her role in shaping academic medicine, training future doctors, and delivering high-quality care within the St. Louis region.
Dr. Kirmani’s main interest lies in the education of students, residents and fellows. She is course master of the Infectious Diseases course for second year medical students and served as the ID Fellowship Director, a role she held for 18 years. She serves on the preclinical curriculum evaluation committee, and the committee for academic evaluation of students. The WashU medical students have honored her with the WashU Medical Students Distinguished Service Teaching Award 14 times and Thread Leader of the Year in 2023. In 2023 she was honored with the IDSA Clinical Teacher Award, a national recognition. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the WashU School of Medicine Academy of Educators in 2024.
These descriptions, while laudatory, don’t really get at the heart of how much people love, admire, and respect Dr. Kirmani. Her mentees call her “Mama K” and “Coach K.” She is renowned for the Thanksgiving dinner global feast that she has provided for years for the ID fellows who are working over Thanksgiving. “She is a critical resource to other ID physicias in our division” (Hilary Babcock). She provides holistic, patient-centered care to persons with significant burdens in addition to illness, and her patients love her.
Per Dr. Bill Powderly, who has known Dr. Kirmani since 1998, “I think it is clear that Nigar epitomizes all the attributes that the BJH Medical Staff Association Lifetime Achievement Award seeks to recognize.” The many people here at BJH and WashU whose lives and careers have been touched by Dr. Nigar Kirmani are delighted to see her receive this recognition.
The Infectious Diseases Division congratulates Dr. Kirmani on this recognition of her dedication and service at BJH over a 25 year career.
