Medical students award teaching honors

Medical students recently awarded teaching honors to four educators in the College of Medicine.

Daniel Hershberger, M.D., assistant professor, internal medicine-pulmonary and critical care, received the Golden Apple Award from first-year medical students (Class of 2022).

Parmender Mehta, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, received the Golden Apple Award from second-year medical students (Class of 2021). Dr. Mehta died unexpectedly on March 3. He was 65.

From left, Alan Richards, M.D., and Alison Ashford, M.D.

UNMC’s fourth-year medical students (Class of 2019) honored two faculty members with Golden Apple Awards:

• Allison Ashford, M.D., internal medicine-pediatrics, was recognized for her clinical teaching;
• Alan Richards, M.D., associate professor, genetics, cell biology and anatomy was recognized for his basic science teaching.

A native of Milford, Neb., Dr. Hershberger joined the faculty in 2016. He earned his medical degree at UNMC. He also did his internal medicine residency at UNMC followed by a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at Creighton University Medical Center.

This year was Dr. Hershberger’s first as a block director in the College of Medicine curriculum. He was responsible for the Respiratory Block.

One nominator called Dr. Hershberger “absolutely incredible as a block director, professor, and all-around individual to be around during the block.”

A native of Chamba, India, Dr. Mehta earned his Ph.D. at Kobe University in Kobe, Japan, in 1983 and launched his career, as well as his postdoctoral work, at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami before joining UNMC. Here, he taught endocrinology and hemostasis for first-year medical students, as well as several courses for graduate students.

“To us, Dr. Mehta embodied everything that the Golden Apple represents,” one nomination read. “Not only did Dr. Mehta bring charm and approachability to the very difficult subject of biochemistry through his teachings, he also brought a calming presence into the lecture hall whether he was there to sit in on another lecturer to learn or to teach himself.”

The Class of 2019 cited Drs. Ashford and Richards as “just two of the many great teachers we have gotten to work with over the past four years.” Both physicians were honored for their “extraordinary dedication to teaching and caring about our development as people in addition to our academic success.”

A 2008 graduate of the UNMC College of Medicine, Dr. Ashford also did her residency training at UNMC. She served as chief resident for internal medicine from 2012-2013. She is board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics.

Dr. Ashford joined the UNMC faculty in 2012. In 2018, she was named program director of medicine-pediatrics residency program.

A native of South Africa, Dr. Richards earned his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in 1966 and did his residency training in general surgery as well as head and neck cancer surgery.

In 1997, Dr. Richards was recruited as a faculty member by the Creighton University Department of Surgery and as program director for the training of surgery residents. Three years later, he joined the UNMC Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery and remained in that position until his retirement in 2014.

Following his retirement, Dr. Richards joined the UNMC Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy and taught anatomy to medical, physician assistant and physical therapy students.