Dec. 8, 2025
Dianne Lewis, who graduated from Mizzou’s Respiratory Therapy program in 1976, has been selected as the 2025 Jimmy A. Young Medal recipient. This award is given each year by the American Association for Respiratory Care to an individual who has exceeded expectations for exemplary service to respiratory therapy and the patients it serves.
During her time in the respiratory therapy program, Lewis was one of three women and one of the only members of her class with no prior respiratory therapy experience. She excelled at Mizzou, graduating cum laude and earning her RRT in 1977.
Lewis went on to shape the field in significant ways. She served in multiple capacities for both the Missouri Society for Respiratory Care and the Florida Society of Respiratory Care before taking on leadership roles in the AARC in the early 1980s. In 1990, she chaired the committee that developed the first clinical practice guidelines for the profession. She served as AARC president in 1993, overseeing the publication of additional guidelines and establishing a committee to market respiratory care practitioners.
After earning her master’s degree at Florida International University, Lewis spent the remainder of her career working in post-acute care. She is the longest-serving member of the AARC Board of Directors, serving in a variety of capacities before her 20-year tenure as chair of the AARC’s Presidents Council.
Read more about Lewis and her career in respiratory therapy.