Annual faculty awards: Shantaram Joshi, PhD

Shantaram Joshi, PhD, will be a recipient of the Spirit of Community Service Award during the UNMC Faculty Senate annual meeting on April 16. The award recognizes faculty members who have used expertise, resources, talent and time outside their UNMC duties to provide community service.

• Name: Shantaram Joshi, PhD
• Title: Professor, UNMC Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, UNMC College of Medicine
• Joined UNMC: 1983
• Hometown: Gokarna, Karnataka, India

How did you start in your community service activities? 

Nebraska has been my home for many decades. When I first came here, the then-very small Indian community locally noted the need for a place of worship, learning and cultural preservation. A local city community center was kind enough to allow us to use their space once a month for this purpose. I grew up in a family of priests in India and was able to offer what I had learned to the community by performing religious ceremonies until we were able to establish an official temple and hire a priest. I was excited to use this knowledge to help my community members mark significant milestones (such as weddings!) and make scriptures written in Sanskrit more accessible to the next generation.

Do you feel community service is important?

Absolutely! I believe that community service is very important to have an active and vibrant community. One of the aspects of Omaha I appreciated the most when supporting the founding of a Hindu Temple was how inclusive and welcoming the surrounding community was to us. As a result, it was a core mission for us to reciprocate a feeling of inclusivity by hosting events open to the broader community and to participating in supportive, Interfaith dialogues.

What are the greatest rewards of teaching?

The greatest reward of teaching is watching your students thrive. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the resilience in my students as they master difficult subjects, the dedication they have to complete whatever course of study they had chosen and, most of all, watching them achieve their goals.

Can you describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right profession?

Pursuing my education changed my life’s trajectory. I grew up in a time of economic hardship, but thanks to the support of my family and caring professors, I was the first person in my family to attend college and earn a PhD. I often think of the professors that helped me get there – whether it was through emotional support, educational encouragement or figuring out a way for me to take an entrance exam I could not afford. I knew I wanted to be that source of encouragement for another generation of students, and it has been an honor to watch so many students succeed over the years. 

What are the biggest challenges you face as a teacher?

A key part of teaching is keeping up with the latest information, teaching platforms and requirements. Students face a whole new set of demands in today’s environment, and it has been a challenging responsibility to keep abreast of the times and technology to provide students with the best education possible.

How do you know when you’ve been successful as a teacher?

I have found success comes in both small and big moments. An example of a small moment is having a student come to my office to talk through a difficult concept and the pride I feel when I watch them work through it and understand the subject. The bigger moments have been watching students fiercely defend their dissertations, graduate from a degree I have supported them through for years and most of all, when students reconnect with me after several years to say I had a part in shaping their career.