John Galloway and William McKinnon Honored with Emory Medical Alumni Award of Honor
February 2026
On February 19, 2026, John Galloway, MD, and William M. McKinnon, MD, were presented with the Emory Medical Alumni Board’s Award of Honor. The ceremony was held at Piedmont Driving Club, with remarks by Emory leadership and welcoming remarks delivered by Emory School of Medicine Dean Sandra Wong. Honorees were joined by their families and colleagues in an evening dedicated to celebrating distinguished service and enduring impact.
The Award of Honor is conferred upon a medical alumna or alumnus who has demonstrated exceptional service to the Medical Alumni Association, the Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, or the profession of medicine. It stands among the School of Medicine’s most prestigious alumni distinctions, recognizing individuals whose careers reflect uncommon dedication, leadership, and integrity.
Drs. Galloway and McKinnon exemplify that standard.
Both trained exclusively at Emory and chose to remain at the institution that shaped their formative years. Dr. McKinnon joined the Department of Surgery in 1980 as a vascular surgeon at Emory University Hospital Midtown, where he built a career defined by clinical excellence and steadfast commitment to patients and colleagues. Dr. Galloway joined the Nutrition and Metabolic Support Service (NMSS) at Emory University Hospital in 1986 and is currently Professor of Surgery in the Division of General and GI Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine. Today, he continues to serve as co-director of the NMSS, advancing complex surgical care while mentoring generations of trainees.
Across decades of service, both physicians invested deeply in the lives of residents, fellows, students, and interdisciplinary colleagues. They carried forward the lessons of their own training to elevate the Department of Surgery and strengthen Emory’s reputation for excellence in patient care, scholarship, and education. Dr. McKinnon retired in 2019, concluding a distinguished career at Emory, while Dr. Galloway remains clinically active and engaged in advancing the field.
In 2021, Department of Surgery Chair John Sweeney, MD and faculty leaders inaugurated the Galloway and McKinnon Alumni Society, honoring the indelible impressions both surgeons have made on the history of the department and on the lives of those they trained. The society offers former trainees a meaningful way to celebrate the institution that shaped their careers and to recognize the mentors who guided them.
Upon initiation of the new Alumni Society, Dr. Sweeney stated that Drs. Galloway and McKinnon “gave decades of service to generations of trainees, patients, colleagues, and their respective fields, taking what they learned here to elevate Emory to even higher altitudes.”
By recognizing Drs. Galloway and McKinnon, the Emory Medical Alumni Association continues a tradition of honoring alumni whose leadership, mentorship, and service have shaped the School of Medicine and the broader medical community.