Seven awards for outstanding teaching have been presented to College of Medicine faculty.
The honorees include:
M1 Silver Pear Award – Parmender Mehta, Ph.D., professor, biochemistry and molecular biology
COM/Class of 1962 Award – Parmender Mehta, Ph.D.
M4 Hirschmann Prize Basic Science Years – Parmender Mehta, Ph.D.
M4 Hirschmann Prize Clinical Years – Ashish Sharma, M.D., associate professor, psychiatry
M1 Golden Apple Award – Kim Latacha, Ph.D., assistant professor, genetics, cell biology and anatomy
M2 Golden Apple Award – David McMillan, Ph.D., professor, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience
Excellence in Teaching Award honoring the Pioneering Women in Medicine – Amy Cannella, M.D., associate professor, internal medicine – rheumatology
Here are some of the comments made about each of the award recipients:
M1 Silver Pear Award/M4 Hirschmann Prize Basic Science Years COM/Class of 1962 Award –
Parmender Mehta, Ph.D., professor, biochemistry and molecular biology
Dr. Mehta taught different subjects throughout the year in both the cellular processes core and the function of the human body core. He was acknowledged not only on his simple teaching style but also for being a source of tranquility and encouragement for the students. His calm demeanor, positive attitude, and thorough explanations of core concepts greatly aided student learning, and made otherwise stressful subject matter much less so.
Dr. Mehta strives to enhance student understanding of his lecture content through thoughtful planning of lectures and by focusing on concepts critical for medical student education. He always takes a moment for meditation and relaxation during his lectures, particularly when covering difficult topics. He is approachable, humble, and always willing to make changes in order to better facilitate student learning. He truly has a passion for excellence in medical student education.
Surinder Batra, Ph.D., professor and chair, biochemistry and molecular biology, said, "Dr. Mehta has learned to give his lectures in a focused manner that seeks fundamental answers to the question, ‘What should students basically know and understand?’
"I think it is a tribute to his skills. The students appreciate the clarity, logic and diagrams of Dr. Mehta’s presentations and the extra insights they get from working with the sample questions he gives them as an aid to their assessment of their knowledge of the material presented in his lectures.
"I must say that I’m amazed after reading his student evaluations. His tireless effort and care for students were described in several evaluations, which stand at the top among his peers."
M4 Hirschmann Prize Clinical Years –
Ashish Sharma, M.D., associate professor, psychiatry
Andrew Braith, a fourth-year medical student, said, "Dr. Sharma has multiple medical students on his service every week. He walks third-year and many fourth-year students through the approach to the inpatient psychiatry consult service. On a daily basis, Dr. Sharma takes the time to educate students on a variety of complex psychiatric diagnoses in treatment within the context of inpatient medicine.
"He consistently gives pointed, helpful feedback to students that help them to grow during their short preceptorship. Dr. Sharma’s teaching style, along with his understanding of psychiatric assessment and management are characteristics that make him an excellent educator and an asset to UNMC."
The Hirschmann Prize recognizes two faculty members (one pre-clinical and one clinical) who the senior class feels have contributed significantly to the education and mentoring of medical students. Winners cannot have received the award within the last four years.
Criteria for the Hirschmann Prize include – devotion to teaching; commitment to education; dedication to improving student performance; professionalism; awareness of student educational needs; innovative educational methods; and ability to stimulate learning in students.
M1 Golden Apple Award –
Kim Latacha, Ph.D., assistant professor, genetics, cell biology and anatomy
Kristin Hunt, a first-year medical student and the class president, said, "Dr. Latacha teaches gross anatomy in the structure and development of the human body core. This honor was awarded by the students for her inspiring teaching, while showing passion, confidence, and great knowledge of the subject matter.
"Students complimented Dr. Latacha on her qualities of eloquence, intelligence and positive attitude. She was especially noted for her intense enthusiasm during her lectures and lab presentations, making them both captivating and practical."
M2 Golden Apple Award –
David McMillan, Ph.D., professor, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience
Danny Arkfeld, a second-year medical student and the class president, said, "Dr. McMillan has somehow managed to take pharmacology – a very daunting subject for second-year medical students – and made it approachable and easy to understand.
"He clearly works very hard to help students learn this difficult material and has consistently provided us with the tools we need to succeed throughout the year and on our upcoming board examinations. Our class would like to thank Dr. McMillan for the dedication that he puts into his work as an educator."
Excellence in Teaching Award honoring the Pioneering Women in Medicine –
Amy Cannella, M.D., associate professor, internal medicine – rheumatology
Dr. Cannella was recognized for three key accomplishments:
— The innovative re-design of musculoskeletal curriculum for second-year medical students to incorporate both web-based and live, hands-on patient interactions;
— Creation of a premier rheumatology fellowship; and
— Introduction of musculoskeletal ultrasound into fellowship training.
James O’Dell, M.D., professor and chief of the division of rheumatology and immunology, said, "Four years ago, I asked Amy to take on the task of redesigning the M2 core curriculum. The results have been spectacular.
"Amy’s redesign has pushed the frontiers of technology and innovation, while at the same time kept students and faculty in touch with the reason we do what we do – the patient. The most unique example of what she has done is building the video game Gout Racer to teach principles of gout diagnosis and management to students by gaming.
In conjunction with Dr. Cannella’s work with the fellowship program, Dr. O’Dell said, "The innovative features of the program that Amy has developed will concentrate on two aspects – innovative curriculum development and implementation of the incorporation of musculoskeletal ultrasound into the fellows’ training.
"Amy has purposely designed a rotating Friday morning curriculum that leverages the expertise of our faculty and allows the fellows themselves to learn from presentations on specific topics."