Dr. Kevin Black, interim dean of the College of Medicine, sent the following email on Wednesday to students, faculty and staff:
Dear Colleagues,
At a luncheon earlier this afternoon, Penn State College of Medicine leadership recognized 12 faculty members who were featured as 2019’s Exceptional Moments in Teaching recipients.
These individuals were commended by students for the way they created meaningful learning experiences. For some students, that meant an environment where it felt safe to ask questions, admit when they didn’t understand a concept, or share a different perspective. Other students were grateful for teachers who demonstrated the best in patient-centered care, who took the time to get to know them, who explained complex topics in memorable ways, or who went above and beyond to ensure that what students learned in a lab connected to caring for someone in a clinical setting.
This Exceptional Moments in Teaching Program is an outreach of the Office for a Respectful Learning Environment. It began in 2017 to recognize faculty whose contributions to education have been exceptional in the eyes of our learners and this past fall, it was expanded to also highlight one resident each month.
All students, residents and fellows in any program at our College of Medicine are encouraged to tell us about individuals who have positively impacted their learning experience. In 2019, the Office for a Respectful Learning Environment received 623 narratives that celebrated faculty, residents, fellows, nurses, graduate students, practice site managers and an environmental health services staff member as exceptional teachers. All narratives are shared with the recipients and their leadership.
Every day, the interactions we have with others have the potential to be helpful or hurtful. I am grateful that as a College of Medicine, we have committed to fostering a community in which all learners and all educators feel supported, challenged, welcomed, valued and respected.
I’m equally grateful to those who have shared their stories through these narratives, as it gives us a meaningful way to recognize individuals who are doing an extraordinary job in shaping the future. For those who would like to share a story about someone you consider an exceptional teacher, you can submit a narrative here.
Please join me in commending our 2019 Exceptional Teachers. I encourage you to read our learners’ comments about them.
- Dr. Bettina Aprile, Family and Community Medicine
- Dr. James Ballard, Humanities
- Dr. Alfredo Bellon, Psychiatry
- Dr. Anthony Dambro, Family and Community Medicine
- Dr. Dennis Gingrich, Family and Community Medicine
- Dr. Jed Gonzalo, Medicine
- Dr. Vitaly Gordin, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
- Dr. Eileen Hennrikus, Medicine
- Dr. Brian Saunders, Surgery
- Dr. Lisa Shantz, Cellular and Molecular Physiology
- Dr. Heather Stuckey-Peyrot, Medicine
- Dr. Alawia Suliman, Pediatrics
Sincerely,
Kevin Black, MD
Interim Dean