Daniel Hershberger, MD, associate professor in the UNMC Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and Richard MacDonald, PhD, professor in the UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, are the 2023 recipients of the Hirschmann Prize for Teaching Excellence, awarded by the UNMC College of Medicine’s 2023 graduating class.
The prize was given to Dr. Hershberger for clinical teaching and Dr. MacDonald for preclinical teaching.
“I was honored to receive the Hirschmann Prize for Teaching Excellence,” Dr. Hershberger said. “When I found out, it was a surreal moment. Teaching the next generation of physicians is the most consistently rewarding part of my career.”
Dr. MacDonald, who will retire from UNMC on July 1, said the award was especially meaningful, providing an emotional capstone to his 35-year teaching career at UNMC.
“Receiving the Hirschmann Prize is one of the greatest honors recognizing teaching in the UNMC College of Medicine, because our graduating students choose the awardees from among all the hundreds of faculty involved in their medical education,” Dr. MacDonald said. “The award was even more special because it was announced at the Honors Convocation and Hooding Ceremony, during which I had the privilege of helping hood the students.”
The Hirschmann Prize was established in 2000 with a gift from UNMC College of Medicine graduates Jerome Hirschmann, a retired cardiologist, and his son, Richard Hirschmann, a pediatric anesthesiologist, both of the Chicago area.
The award includes an accompanying monetary gift, which is funded through the Hirschmanns’ endowment at the University of Nebraska Foundation. The award was announced at the college’s annual honors convocation and hooding ceremony in May.
Bradley Britigan, MD, dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, congratulated Drs. MacDonald and Hershberger on the award.
“The Hirschmann Prize is an opportunity for our graduating medical students to recognize faculty for their teaching and innovation,” Dr. Britigan said. “We are proud of Dr. Hershberger and Dr. MacDonald, not only for receiving this award, but for their commitment to providing the best medical education possible – the mission of the entire college.”
Congratulations to both of you! What an honor!
Congratulations Daniel & Richard!