as Outstanding Teachers for 1999
Three faculty members at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have
been chosen as outstanding teachers for 1999. They were honored recently
at the annual faculty awards program and reception on the UNMC campus.
The Outstanding Teachers Awards were presented to Bernice Christopherson
Yates, Ph.D., an associate professor and graduate faculty fellow in the
College of Nursing Kearney Division; Joseph Sisson, M.D., an associate
professor and section chief of the pulmonary and critical care section
in the internal medicine department; and J. Bruce Bavitz, D.M.D., vice
chairman in the surgical specialties department of the College of Dentistry
in Lincoln.
Giving students cookies on the first day of class is one of the creative
approaches Yates uses to introduce nursing students to research. In “The
Great Cookie Experiment,” students are asked to sign a consent form, taste
and evaluate two cookies (one of which is made without a main ingredient),
and correlate the results. The hands-on experiment demonstrates many of
the key components of a research study.
She has been practicing her creative approach to teaching since she
joined the College of Nursing in 1994 as an assistant professor.
Within two years of her appointment she was promoted to associate professor
and fellow.
Dr. Sisson joined UNMC in 1987 as an assistant professor in the internal
medicine department. He was nominated in part for his gift of teaching
and willingness to share and refine that gift. As part of that, Dr. Sisson
uses technology and visual images to help make complicated issues easier
to understand.
A 1979 graduate of the University of Iowa, Dr. Sisson received the
Sir William Osler Teaching Award in 1991. It is given by resident physicians
in internal medicine to the person they believe contributed most to their
learning. He also was included in the 1996-97 and 1998-99 edition of “The
Best Doctors in America: Central Region,” a book published by Woodward/White
Inc. of Aiken, S.C.
Dr. Bavitz is known for his use of humor to make his class more
entertaining, while striving to provide the best education possible. In
addition to his humor, his lectures are filled with real life situations
the students will face when they start their dentistry practices.
One of only two faculty members who teach oral and maxillofacial surgery,
Dr. Bavitz was previously awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award in the
College of Dentistry by the classes of 1995 and 1997.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has
established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research
and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in
research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually.
In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.