St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild and Versiti Blood Center of Indiana announced Gareth Gilkey, M.D., as the recipient of the 2024 Achievement in Medicine (AIM) Award. The AIM Award honors a physician or professional of the Eskenazi Health team who upholds the tradition of excellence in health care and recognizes an individual’s achievements and contributions to continued innovation and dedication in health care.

Marking his 60th year as a practicing physician, Dr. Gilkey serves as a primary care physician at Eskenazi Health. He was nominated for the AIM Award by Christopher Steinmetz, M.D., an internal medicine provider at Eskenazi Health, who said describing Dr. Gilkey as a physician who goes above and beyond the call of duty would be a “monumental understatement,” as Dr. Gilkey goes out of his way – both personally and professionally – to ensure his patients are taken care of.

Dr. Gilkey has practiced medicine in Indianapolis since 1971, when he was hired as a staff physician at Marion County General Hospital. He began clinical teaching the same year through Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine, teaching residents and medical students in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. Over the course of his 45-year clinical teaching career, Dr. Gilkey has been awarded with many honors and accolades including the IU School of Medicine Internal Medicine Department Teaching Award (two-time recipient), the IU School of Medicine Outstanding Teacher in Education of Medical Science award, the IU Department of Medicine Distinguished Teaching Award and the IU Medical Group Joseph J. Mamlin Service Award.

Dr. Gilkey graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle in 1964. He began his residency at Philadelphia General Hospital and completed it at the IU School of Medicine, where he served as chief resident his final year. His residency was paused while he served as a captain in the United States Army as part of the 44th Medical Brigade in Vietnam for one year and then as part of the internal medicine department at Ireland Army Community Hospital in Fort Knox, Kentucky, for another. After the completion of his residency, Dr. Gilkey completed a gastroenterology fellowship through the IU School of Medicine.

AIM Award recipients are selected by the St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild, a volunteer organization that has been a key partner in supporting Eskenazi Health’s mission since 1907. Through the years, the guild has raised more than $14 million to support the work of Eskenazi Health. This generous philanthropic support of this volunteer organization has benefited Eskenazi Health patients directly through a variety of programs and services.