Reflecting on faculty who have taught, supported, and enabled their transition to clinical learning, second-year medical students honored four outstanding Geisel School of Medicine faculty with Preclinical Teaching Awards.
A total of 64 nominations representing first- and second-year preclinical faculty, were whittled down to four winners through a combination of votes from Medical Education Committee Student Representatives and the Class of 2023.
Nominated across all four award categories more than 25 times and described as a “champion for students” who “pours his soul” into teaching, Larry Myers, PhD, is recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award. Myers directs and teaches the Foundations course. Many students noted, he “… always goes above and beyond … " and is a relentless advocate on their behalf. This award recognizes a faculty or staff member who goes above and beyond his/her role as an educator in an effort to help support and guide students in areas often unrelated to coursework, including but not limited to, being a mentor, role model, counselor, and resource.
Nancy McNulty MED ’95, a radiologist who directs the Longitudinal Curriculum on Imaging, received the Distinguished Lecturer Award for her ability to clearly and concisely explain concepts and for thoughtfully presenting complex information in an understandable manner. Presented to one faculty member for their Phase 1 contributions, Distinguished Lecturer Award recipients are selected based upon a faculty member's ability to effectively teach students in a large group setting, model strong moral character, and encourage enthusiasm in medical study.
Sharing the Distinguished Course Director(s) Award are Steve Bensen MED ’90 and Larry Myers, PhD. Their co-directed course on GI & Metabolism was repeatedly applauded for being well-structured, organized, and well-taught. “Class was fun every day,” a student nominator noted while praising the directors’ ability to “turn on a dime to adapt a course for Zoom at the beginning of the pandemic yet running it like they had been doing it for decades.” The Distinguished Course Director(s) Award is given to faculty for their exceptional ability to design, organize, and lead a course—inspiring the learning environment with their dedication and commitment to a holistic student experience along with outstanding teamwork and responsiveness to student needs.
Graham Atkins, MD, recipient of the Distinguished Small Group Leader Award, was lauded as an amazing educator whose passion for teaching students in the Respiratory course was evident in every small group—he is known for his follow up emails to medical students further clarifying information covered in class. Presented to one faculty member for their Phase 1 contributions, the recipient of this award embodies the ability to effectively convey information to students in a small group setting, as well as model strong moral character to students, and encourage enthusiasm in medical study.
Congratulations to this year’s Preclinical Teaching Award recipients from the Class of 2023 and the Geisel community.
