Earlier this year, I attended my son's graduation from Dartmouth, during which Jake Tapper (the noted CNN journalist) received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Tapper had graduated from the school many years before; his new degree recognized his achievements since leaving the university. Tapper gave an outstanding speech, full of energy and wisdom. He worked hard for the honorary degree -- perhaps even harder than he had when he was an undergraduate 20 years earlier.
Physicians also have honorary degrees; almost every society recognizes certain members as "Fellows." If you have such a degree, you can place it after your name. If you are a member of many organizations, you can append as many degrees after your name as you would like. Some people have more than 9 honorary degrees -- all beginning with an "F" -- and typically, they insist on mentioning them in every correspondence they send.
How hard is it to acquire these honorary degrees?
It is really easy.
If you are a member of a society and have paid your dues, you simply complete a form and obtain letters of recommendation from your friends. A committee reviews your application, and if they like you, voila! You are a Fellow of the society! If you have had any presence in a field, the committee is not likely to turn you down. After all, if you cite the honorary degree, you are providing free advertising to the society. That is why many societies create them in the first place. (Also, in many cases, you pay more in annual dues!)
As far as I know, I have only two honorary degrees. About 40 years ago, I was really excited when I became a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. There was a very formal induction ceremony that lasted for 3 hours. I wore an elaborate gown with colorful stripes. And every time I published a paper in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the editors insisted that I place "F.A.C.C." after my name. I was very pleased to do so.
The story of my second honorary degree was slightly less festive.
A few years ago, the Heart Failure Society of America decided to begin granting the honorary degree of F.H.F.S.A.
What did you need to do to become a Fellow of the Society? I am not sure.
I acquired my F.H.F.S.A., when I received an email telling me that the HFSA had now granted me the degree. As a past president of the society, I completed no forms and submitted no letters of recommendation. I think a certificate arrived in the mail, but I cannot remember. There was no induction ceremony, and I am not certain that anyone cared if I appended the honorary degree to my name. The editor of the official journal of the HFSA did not require that I append F.H.F.S.A. after my name on the papers I authored. The only privilege that I gained from receiving the degree was my ability to nominate others for the honorary degree.
Most honorary degrees in medicine are a form of advertisement for both the society who grants them and the physicians who display the degrees in their interactions with the world.
Honorary degrees are easy to acquire, and some physicians really enjoy collecting them.
The degree collectors that I know are very nice people, and many have made important contributions. But I wonder why they need the symbolic reassurance of useless (but harmless) designations.
Honorary degrees are fashionable these days. But so is giving trophies to baseball teams that come in fifth place.
Disclosures
Packer has recently consulted for Amgen, Boehringer Ingelhim, Cardiorentis and Sanofi. He was one of the two co-principal investigators for the PARADIGM-HF trial (sacubitril/valsartan) and currently chairs the Executive Committee for the EMPEROR trial program (empagliflozin).