At one time, David O'Dell, M.D., wanted to be a high school teacher.
Life took him in a different direction. But within his medical career, Dr. O'Dell still became a teacher – such a good one, in fact, that students awarded him so many teaching awards he became ineligible to receive more.
Then, earlier this year, the new Academic Affairs Impact in Education Awards were instituted by Dele Davies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs. Dr. O’Dell, an ’84 alumnus, was named UNMC's first Educator Laureate.
The award recognizes an individual with sustained achievement in education who has significantly improved the UNMC learning environment through the provision of outstanding educational experiences.
A commitment to education has always marked Dr. O'Dell's career. After starting his residency in family medicine, he switched to internal medicine in part because, when he was looking at who had the biggest impact on the education of students and residents, he felt that the internist clearly had the more prominent role.
“I had the opportunity to serve as chief resident here at UNMC, and that was a nice way of seguing into an academic career,” he said. “I started to collect cases and case descriptions, all of which helped me build up my teaching files, if you will, in terms of getting a chance to really use those experiences to help the students and residents.”
For 27 years, Dr. O'Dell has collaborated with Michael Sitorius, M.D., (M'77), on a nationally recognized and unique joint training program combining internal medicine and family medicine for primary care residents.
“It's a novel effort to train primary care physicians to meet the needs of non-metropolitan and underserved Nebraska,” he said.
Dr. O'Dell is the LeeRoy Meyer Professor of Medicine, a professorship named for LeeRoy Meyer, M.D., a beloved UNMC educator who asked Dr. O'Dell to help with the junior clerkship only a few years after he joined the faculty at UNMC. Dr. O'Dell still remembers Dr. Meyer, who died in 2005, as an inspiration.
“Dr. Meyer was a wonderful educator, a true legend,” he said. The two ran the senior elective until Dr. Meyer's death.
“When he passed in 2005, I did something a little unusual for a more senior physician,” Dr. O'Dell said. “I stepped back into the classroom, rather than away from it. I became more involved in the junior clerkship that year.
“I am honored by this award but it has truly been a team effort, and I have been privileged to work with many dedicated educators here at UNMC.”
In a letter of support for the award, Dr. Sitorius said Dr. O'Dell “has remained innovative, challenging yet supportive and committed to educating all learners. He has high expectations of both himself and his learners and delivers on those expectations in his approaches to education.”