There are several traditions that occur during National Public Health Week—service activities, health fairs, student awards—however, the Public Health Student Association’s Outstanding Professor Award is particularly special because the winners are selected by students in the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

This distinctive honor is awarded to one full-time and adjunct faculty member to recognize the outstanding contributions he or she has made to student development, as well as to the quality of education within their department and the college. The 2012 Outstanding Professor Award recipients are Donna Haiduven, PhD, RN, CIC, assistant professor in the Department of Global Health, and Timothy Boaz, PhD, joint associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Dr. Donna Haiduven

“She brings a lot of experience from her background and is able to communicate this to applicable situations in the field, creating a more well-rounded and preparatory learning experience,” is how one student describes Dr. Donna Haiduven. “While online classes can be rather impersonal and distant, Dr. Haiduven is setting a high standard in this arena by her willingness to be available to students for further guidance and her promptness in responding to everyday questions and feedback in her courses. Her approach to teaching infection control practices are extremely focused and she utilizes up to date technology in many of these courses, which is becoming more important in today’s academic environment.”

Going ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ was a frequent theme in student nominations for Dr. Timothy Boaz. A student cites, “He hosts tutorial sessions weekly in addition to class. Furthermore, on the week preceding an exam he conducts two of these tutorial sessions to accommodate those who cannot make it to the weekly tutorial session.” As a result, “this professor has been the cornerstone of my knowledge of SAS–a very difficult subject to teach and learn.”

Likewise, a student credits Dr. Boaz for taking the “time to answer questions thoroughly and eagerly providing a helpful example along with the concept underlying the nuances of the given example. He responds to emails with the same level of diligence.”

“The nominee [Haiduven] has provided me with multiple opportunities for personal and professional growth, including involvement in protocol development and research, presentations at three national conferences and at least two publications. Her commitment to recognizing the contributions of students in her research has facilitated the growth of my own CV.”

“For the first time in my life, I walked out of an exam and thought it was hard and challenging, but fair and much needed. The exam tested my skills, the homework prepared me, the lectures and readings gave me the structure, but it was the ability of the professor [Boaz] … that made the difference … Seeing him enjoy the art of teaching—really getting excited about public health—is a motivating factor to me as a student.”

Commitment to fairness. Providing opportunities for student development. Passionate about public health. Excellence in teaching.

Each of these characteristics is noteworthy by itself. But, when combined with the others they yield two outstanding professors—Drs. Donna Haiduven and Timothy Boaz, the 2012 Outstanding Professor Award winners.

Written by Natalie D. Preston, College of Public Health