Teaching awards given to outstanding educators

By Anne Enright Shepherd

Medical students honored the very best medical educators recently during the annual Distinguished Service Teaching Awards ceremony held at the Eric P. Newman Education Center.

In addition to the faculty members receiving Distinguished Service Teaching Awards, six people were honored with top-tier recognition. The annual fall ceremony honors educators from the previous academic year.

Photo by Bob Boston

Scot G. Hickman, M.D. (center), professor of medicine, receives engraved bookends honoring his Course Master of the Year Award. Pete Gabriel (left), president of the School of Medicine's Class of 2003, and William A. Peck, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, congratulate Hickman.

At a time when School of Medicine faculty face challenging research schedules and see growing numbers of patients, the students recognized the behind-the-scenes preparation, creativity and topic mastery it takes to be an outstanding teacher.

The Class of 2004 awarded Professor of the Year to Dana R. Abendschein, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine. Course Master of the Year was awarded to Robert S. Wilkinson, Ph.D., professor of cell biology and physiology, and the Stanley J. Lang Lecturer of the Year Award was presented to Bradley A. Evanoff, M.D., the Sutter Chair of Occupational, Industrial and Environmental Medicine. Joseph Ippolito, graduate student in molecular biology and pharmacology, was named Teaching Assistant of the Year.

The Class of 2003 awarded Professor of the Year to Jeffrey E. Saffitz, M.D., Ph.D., the Paul E. Lacy and Ellen Lacy Professor of Pathology and Immunology and professor of medicine. Scot G. Hickman, M.D., professor of medicine and director of hematology/oncology at the St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center, received the Course Master of the Year, and Madeleine D. Kraus, M.D., former assistant professor of pathology and immunology, was named Lecturer of the Year.

The Class of 2002 gave 10 Clinical Teacher of the Year awards and 10 Resident of the Year awards.

Abendschein

Abendschein, also an associate professor of cell biology and physiology, was praised for his innovative, interactive teaching style, which included thorough explanation and demonstration of the EKG when teaching cardiology. Students also noted his humorous anecdotes.

Wilkinson

Wilkinson, course master for the physiology course Cell and Organ Systems Biology, was recognized for going to great lengths to find lecturers and for quickly clarifying material. Students said he encouraged them in all areas of their medical education from course work to extracurricular activities.

Evanoff

Evanoff was admired for his energy and responsiveness to student concerns. He actively sought student input when deciding which material should be included in the health promotion and disease prevention section of The Practice of Medicine course. In addition to holding the Sutter chair, Evanoff is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine.

Ippolito

Ippolito served as teaching assistant in the anatomy lab, helping students to learn human anatomy in extraordinary detail. He was honored for his methods of teaching as well as for his guidance in orienting first-year students to the ins and outs of medical school life. Ippolito is a fourth-year student in the Medical Scientist Training Program.

Saffitz

Saffitz, who also is a professor of medicine, taught cardiac pathology. He was praised repeatedly for clearly explaining new concepts without oversimplifying the material. His contagious enthusiasm and dedication to fundamental principles also brought praise. Saffitz has won teaching awards for the past several years.

Hickman

Hickman organized, planned and taught portions of the Hematology and Oncology course as course master. The award was the result of his expert blending of lectures, microscopy laboratories, case discussions and review sessions. In addition, students noted the challenging final exam that required both factual knowledge and integrative clinical reasoning.

"I don't know about you, but when students list an exam as something good about a course, that's a very good sign in my book," said Mark Stover, medical education representative for the Class of 2003, as he presented the award.

Kraus

Kraus taught the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma section of the second-year Pathology course and was known by students for her clear and concise explanations. This is the second consecutive year Kraus has been selected lecturer of the year, which recognizes a junior faculty member's outstanding teaching. She left the University earlier this year to accept a position at Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Distinguished Service Teaching Awards from Class of 2004 Marc Bernstein, M.D. Michael Caparon, Ph.D. Mokhtar Gado, M.D. William Hartel, D.M.D. Yoon Kang, M.D. Robert Mercer, Ph.D. Jane Phillips-Conroy, Ph.D. Andrey Shaw, M.D. Barry Sleckman, M.D., Ph.D. Alison Whelan, M.D. Distinguished Service Teaching Awards from Class of 2003 Dana Abendschein, Ph.D. John Atkinson, M.D. Marc Bernstein, M.D. Erika Crouch, M.D., Ph.D. Rosa Davila, M.D. Eugene Johnson, Ph.D. Stanley Misler, M.D., Ph.D. Gregory Storch, M.D. Paul Swanson, M.D. David Windus, M.D.

Clinical Teacher of the Year Awards from Class of 2002 Martin Boyer, M.D. Michael Brunt, M.D. Thomas De Fer, M.D. Gerard Doherty, M.D. Richard Hudgens, M.D. Matt Matava, M.D. Gary Miller, M.D. Jeffrey Moley, M.D. Thomas Read, M.D. Joseph St. Geme III, M.D. Resident of the Year Awards from Class of 2002 David Cohn, M.D. Ben Chang, M.D. David Crownover, M.D. Gregory Esper, M.D. Rachel Humphrey, M.D. Chi Kim, M.D. Robert Naismith, M.D. Louis Nguyen, M.D. Emanuel J. Vlastos, M.D. Charles Vollmer, M.D.