Bradley David Anawalt, MD, a professor and vice chair in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, was honored with the Endocrine Society’s 2026 Outstanding Educator Laureate Award. He described the recognition as deeply meaningful because it reflected peer assessment of his long-term contributions to medical education. Anawalt has attended ENDO every year since 1992 and has presented regularly, delivering both didactic teaching sessions and research presentations.
His approach to education emphasizes more than the transmission of facts: he aims to convey enthusiasm, collegiality, and a sustained curiosity for learning. Anawalt views teaching as an opportunity to share his excitement and to ignite interest in learners at multiple levels. The award citation highlighting his ability to foster a sense of joy in learning among students mirrors his own stated priorities.
Anawalt’s move into endocrinology began with college and medical-school experiences that sparked an interest in hormonal science. He credits a biochemistry course and a memorable endocrinology elective during his fourth year of medical school at the University of California at Davis for steering him toward the specialty. A recommendation to train at the University of Washington led to further immersion in the field.
A formative research experience came while working with Bill Bremner at the VA, where Anawalt joined a laboratory conducting studies on male hormonal contraception. Seattle has been active in exploring innovative approaches to male contraception in the United States, and Anawalt participated in trials designed to expand contraceptive options for men. He reports working with hundreds of research participants—men willing to enroll in clinical trials to advance contraceptive science.
His research and clinical interests extend to broader aspects of male reproductive endocrinology, including better understanding infertility and the diagnosis and treatment of male hypogonadism. Participation in contraceptive trials yielded not only data on contraception but also insights relevant to infertility care and hormonal evaluation in men.
Rather than naming a single formative teacher, Anawalt points to a sequence of mentors who shared common traits: curiosity, enthusiasm, and a genuine joy in teaching. Those attributes proved infectious and shaped his own teaching identity. One explicit lesson he recalls is the mantra “repetition is the mother of learning,” which underscores the value of reinforcement in acquiring knowledge.
He also describes an early career maxim he received: say yes to every teaching opportunity. By accepting many invitations to teach, he gained wide-ranging experience and learned to calibrate content and delivery for different learner groups. That iterative practice reinforced both subject mastery and pedagogical flexibility.
Anawalt emphasizes that effective teaching requires understanding the audience. He noted that a talk must be reframed depending on whether the listeners are undergraduates, residents, fellows, faculty, scientists, or members of the public, and that each group seeks different takeaways. Adapting content means learning something about the learners beforehand and tailoring material to their level of knowledge and interests.
He finds it fascinating to observe what different audiences take away from the same topic when the presentation is adjusted appropriately. For Anawalt, fostering collegiality and a joy of learning are as important as delivering factual content; both contribute to developing future endocrinologists who are curious and engaged.
Outside of medicine and teaching, Anawalt maintains a broad set of interests that help him unplug. He exercises regularly—running and biking most days—and enjoys hiking and walking vacations. He mentioned planned hikes in the Grand Canyon’s Havasupai area and the Scottish Highland Trail.
Anawalt also keeps a wide range of reading and musical interests. He attends chamber music performances and other concerts, naming music as one of the cultural pursuits that complements his professional life. These activities serve both as personal renewal and as a source of continued curiosity and pleasure, reinforcing the same qualities he values in educators and learners.