Baylor College of Medicine faculty members selected as outstanding educators for 2015 were honored at the Medical Education Awards Ceremony recently.
Presidential Awards
Established in 1999, the Barbara and Corbin J. Robertson Jr. Presidential Award for Excellence in Education recognizes faculty members who have made long-standing, consistent and highly valued contributions to the educational mission of the College. Recipients become members of the Baylor Society of Presidential Educators and receive a crystal award and $10,000.
The 2015 recipients of the Robertson Presidential Award were Wah Chiu, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor in the Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Fernando Stein, M.D., FAAP, FCCM, professor of pediatrics – critical care and medical director of progressive care at Texas Children’s Hospital.
McGovern Awards
The John P. McGovern Outstanding Teaching Award in the Pre-clinical Sciences was presented to J. Clay Goodman, M.D., FAAN, professor of pathology & immunology, and the McGovern Outstanding Teaching Award in the Clinical Sciences was presented to John H. Coverdale, M.D., M.Ed., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy.
The McGovern Teaching Awards were established in 1986 and are determined by second-, third- and fourth-year medical students and based on outstanding teaching of clinical and pre-clinical medical school curriculum. The nominees are then forwarded to the Faculty Awards Committee for approval.
Fulbright and Jaworski Faculty Excellence Awards
The Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Faculty Excellence Award were presented for outstanding teaching in several specialty areas.
Those recognized for teaching and evaluation were:
Kjersti Aagaard, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology; David Aguilar, M.D., associate professor of medicine; Benjamin Arenkiel, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular and human genetics; Marni Axelrad, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics; David Bates, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular and human genetics; Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, Ph.D., assistant professor, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy; Sarah Elizabeth Blutt, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular virology and microbiology; Carlos Javier Campos-Lopez, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics; Heather Crouse, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; David Curtis, Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Stephanie DeSandro, M.D., PA-C, assistant professor, School of Allied Health Sciences; Cara Doughty, M.D., M.Ed., assistant professor of pediatrics; Carla Giannoni, M.D., associate professor of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery; Brett Graham, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular and human genetics; Shannon Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology; Cindy Ivanhoe, M.D., associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation; Kala Kamdar, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Richard Kellermayer, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Curtis Kennedy, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Daniel Leung, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Kathryn Leung, assistant professor of pediatrics; Caridad Martinez, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Anu Matorin, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; Mark Mazziotti, M.D., associate professor of surgery; E. Dean McKenzie, M.D., associate professor of surgery; Robb E. Moses, M.D., professor of molecular and cellular biology; Brent Mothner, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Pablo Motta, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics – anesthesiology; Benjamin Musher, M.D., assistant professor of medicine; Lenora Noroski, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of pediatrics; Olutoyin Olutoye, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics; Quisqueya Palacios, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology; Kevin Roy, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Chirayu Shah, M.D., M.Ed., assistant professor of medicine; Manish Shah, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Eric Silberfein, M.D., assistant professor of surgery; Poyyapakkam Srivaths, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of pediatrics; Addison Taylor, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine; Joyee Vachani, M.D. M.Ed., assistant professor of pediatrics; Ashuthosh Wali, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and obstetrics and gynecology; D’Juanna White-Satcher, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of pediatrics; and Jason Yustein, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics.
Honored for educational leadership were:
Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, Ph.D., assistant professor, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy; Lindsay Chase, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Shweta Dhar, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of molecular and human genetics; A. Hafeez Diwan, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology & immunology and dermatology; Carla Giannoni, M.D., associate professor of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery; Mark Harbott, M.D., M.H.A., assistant professor of anesthesiology; Nadia Ismail, M.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., assistant professor of medicine; Andrew Jea, M.D., associate professor neurosurgery; Arun Nachiappan, M.D., associate professor of radiology; M. Tyson Pillow, M.D., M.Ed., assistant professor of medicine; Aliya Sarwar, M.D., assistant professor of neurology; Mariella Self, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; Asim Shah, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; and Chirayu Shah, M.D., assistant professor of medicine.
Honored for educational research was:
Jeffrey Cully, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
Those honored for development of enduring educational materials included:
Julie Boom, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics; Ronald Bronicki, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics; Andrew Jea, M.D., associate professor of neurosurgery; Glenn Levine, M.D., professor of medicine; Olutoyin Olutoye, M.D., M.Sc., associate professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics; Ourania Preventza, M.D., assistant professor of surgery; Christian Schaaf, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular and human genetics; and Teri Turner, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of pediatrics.
Graduating Class Award
The Graduating Class Outstanding Faculty Award is presented to the top five faculty members in balloting by fourth-year medical students. Recipients were Joslyn Fisher, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of medicine; Francis Gannon, M.D., professor of pathology & immunology; M. Tyson Pillow, M.D., M.Ed., assistant professor of medicine; E. Lee Poythress, M.D., associate professor of medicine; and Eric Silberfein, M.D., assistant professor of surgery.
House Staff Award
A new award was presented at the 2015 Medical Educator Awards Ceremony. The House Staff Teaching Excellence Award is presented to residents who have set a sterling example as educators and are selected by third- and fourth-year BCM medical students. Recipients were Larry Balle, M.D., family medicine; Salman Ahmed, M.D., medicine; Ezekiel Sachs, M.D., neurology; Michael Beninati, M.D., obstetrics and gynecology; Linessa Zuniga, M.D., pediatrics; R. Scott Johnson, M.D., psychiatry; Thao Nguyen, M.D., surgery; and Kristy Hamilton, M.D., surgery.
Special Award
The Academy of Distinguished Educators at Baylor also gave out a special, surprise award. Given to Dr. Joan Friedland, professor of medicine, the Wind Beneath Our Wings Award honors her lifelong work in the area of educator development at Baylor.
“I hope that faculty realize how important they are, and that the work they do is important,” she said after receiving the honor.
Educational Innovations Symposium
Prior to the awards ceremony, the Academy of Distinguished Educators held its fourth annual Educational Innovations Symposium. This event included presentations by faculty focused on educational innovations that can be applied to teaching.
“Due to the highly supportive environment at Baylor College of Medicine, the Innovations Day Symposium has really taken off with significantly growing participation in the day itself as well as rising numbers of submissions reflecting incredibly diverse, innovative education projects,” said Dr. Teri Turner, associate professor of pediatrics and a member of the steering committee of Baylor’s Academy of Distinguished Educators.
Josh Utay, faculty in the School of Allied Health Sciences, who served as one of the symposium facilitators, said that there has been a growing diversity of submissions at the annual event. “This widening array of interests from across the institution demonstrates both the esteem of the format and the hunger for this forum as a way to share successes in clinical education.”
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