Nine faculty members recently earned the College of Medicine’s inaugural Educational Excellence Awards, an honor presented to faculty by faculty.

An interdisciplinary and inter-professional selection committee determined the winners, looking only at those faculty members who demonstrate innovative teaching and education scholarship. Teaching may be in undergraduate medical/DPT/Athletic Training education, graduate student education, and/or graduate clinical (resident) education within the College of Medicine. The awards, which considers both junior and senior faculty, are supported by the COM Office of Educational Affairs.

“The nomination pool was robust and the caliber of the nominees was excellent,” said Alicia Monroe, MD, vice dean for COM Educational Affairs

“And the selection committee, and their work, was marked by tremendous focus and collegiality – both key values for The College of Medicine and USF Health.”

There are three Educational Excellence Awards: Outstanding Teaching (15 awards of $250 are awarded for educational excellence after nomination by chairs.), Innovation in Teaching (two awards of $2500 to reward recent outstanding teaching innovation in support of USF COM educational initiatives. The award may be received more than once, but not more often than every 3 years.), and Outstanding Lifetime Educational Excellence (rewards sustained education excellence over a career at USF COM with a $5000 stipend. The award may be received only once.).

This year’s winners of the inaugural awards are:
Outstanding Lifetime Educational Excellence Award
     Duane Eichler, PhD, professor, Molecular Medicine.

Award for Innovation in Teaching
     Inge Wefes, PhD, associate professor, Molecular Medicine. She won for her novel graduate curriculum in bioethics, biotechnology and bioinformatics.
    Laurie J. Woodard, MD, associate professor, Family Medicine. She won for her innovative curriculum in the care of patients with disabilities.

Recognition of Outstanding Teaching
     Gianluca Del Rossi, PhD, ATC, associate professor, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
     John R. Dietz, PhD, professor, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology
     Samuel Saporta, PhD, professor, Pathology and Cell Biology
     Richard J. Schrot, MD, associate professor, Family Medicine
     Laura Lee Swisher, PT, MDiv, PhD, associate professor, School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
     Joanne Valeriano- Marcet, MD, professor, Internal Medicine

Award recipients will receive their awards May 4 at the MD Graduation Dinner.