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For Release: June 22, 2012
Contact: Derik Hertel, 603-650-1211 or derik.hertel@dartmouth.edu

Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine Names Inaugural Members of the Academy of Faculty Master Educators


Dean Wiley 'Chip' Souba and the Inaugural Members of the Academy of Faculty Master Educators
Front row (L-R): Virginia Lyons, PhD; Ronald Taylor, PhD; Elmer Pfefferkorn, PhD; Roshini Pinto-Powell, MD; Leslie Fall, MD; James Bell, MD; Catherine Pipas, MD, MPH; Rich Rothstein, MD
Second row: Duane Compton, PhD; Harold Manning, MD; Eugene Nattie, MD; Joe O'Donnell, MD; David Nierenberg, MD
Back Row: Lee Witters, MD; Chip Souba, MD, ScD, MBA; H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH; Worth Parker, MD

Hanover, N.H.—The 16 inaugural members of the Geisel School of Medicine's Academy of Faculty Master Educators were celebrated during Dean Wiley "Chip" Souba's annual State of the Medical School address on Tuesday, June 5, 2012.

Members of this distinguished group were nominated by their fellow Geisel School of Medicine faculty because of their demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching and medical education. Academy members will be leaders in medical education innovation at the Geisel School of Medicine, educating students and residents, advising Dean Souba and Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education Rich Simons, and raising the overall quality of education by mentoring faculty and residents in their quest to become better teachers.

"In the 215-year history of the medical school, one thing that has remained constant is the presence of outstanding educators," said Souba. "These individuals represent the pinnacle of teaching excellence. They embody the very best of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and their peers recognize that."

The Faculty Master Educators were introduced by their current and former students during the program. Each of the students and alumni related personal stories about how the faculty members had helped and inspired them.

Introducing Elmer Pfefferkorn, PhD, Geisel alumnus and emeritus faculty member, Kathryn Kirkland, MD ('86) said, "As I look back on the impact of this teacher and the incredible respect that he demonstrated for students, that really informs me as I try to develop myself into a master teacher in his footsteps. The punctuality with which he began and ended every lecture; the incredible amount of preparation that he put into each lecture, rehearsing it numerous times, and yet sounding fresh and entertaining each time is an inspiration to me. I realize looking back that those were marks of an incredible respect for the human beings that he would be teaching."

"Through his words and actions, he has taught me how to transform challenging moments of medical school into opportunities for growth and learning," said Geisel medical student Michael Erkkinen about Geisel faculty member Joe O'Donnell, MD.

When introducing inductee Duane Compton, PhD, doctoral candidate and researcher Lilian Kabeche said, "He has taught me the value of a great experiment and that patience isn't just a virtue but a necessity, especially in science."

Geisel alumnus and Dartmouth-Hitchcock clinician Kent Powell, MD ('07) introduced Cathy Pipas, MD, MPH, who he says helped him find his passion for family medicine.

"The lessons that I learned from her, including taking care of the whole patient and not just the disease, I carry with me and use them every day in my practice. I can truly say that I'm a better clinician for having known her."

The inaugural members of the Academy of Faculty Master Educators (and who they were introduced by) are:

  • James Bell, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Molly Taylor, '13)
  • Duane Compton, PhD, Senior Associate Dean of Research, Professor of Biochemistry (Lilian Kabeche, PhD Candidate)
  • Leslie Fall, MD, Professor of Pediatrics (Molly Taylor, '13)
  • Virginia Lyons, PhD, Associate Professor of Anatomy (Bryan Pyfer, '13)
  • Harold Manning, MD, Professor of Medicine, Physiology & Neurobiology, and Anesthesiology (Amy Thomas, '13)
  • Eugene Nattie, MD, Professor of Physiology & Neurobiology (Edward Ruhland, '13)
  • David Nierenberg, MD, Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology & Toxicology (Carolyn Koulouris, '13)
  • Joseph O'Donnell, MD, Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry (Michael Erkkinen, MD '12)
  • Worth Parker, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and of Pediatrics (Edward Merrens, MD, '94)
  • Elmer Pfefferkorn, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Microbiology & Immunology (Kathryn Kirkland, MD, '86)
  • Roshini Pinto-Powell, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Raymond T. Finn III, MD, '12)
  • Catherine Pipas, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Community & Family Medicine (Kent Powell, MD, '07)
  • Richard Rothstein, MD, Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Interim Chair of Medicine (Steve Bensen, MD, '90)
  • Ronald Taylor, PhD, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology (Christina Megli, '13)
  • H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, The Dartmouth Institute, and Community & Family Medicine (Joseph E. Tanenbaum, DC '13)
  • Lee Witters, MD, Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry (Jean Hamlin, MD, '12)

The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, founded in 1797, strives to improve the lives of the communities we serve through excellence in learning, discovery, and healing. The nation's fourth-oldest medical school, the Geisel School of Medicine has been home to many firsts in medical education, research and practice, including the discovery of the mechanism for how light resets biological clocks, creating the first multispecialty intensive care unit, the first comprehensive examination of U.S. health care cost variations (The Dartmouth Atlas), and the first Center for Health Care Delivery Science, which launched in 2010. As one of America's top medical schools, Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine is committed to training new generations of diverse physician leaders who will help solve our most vexing challenges in health care.

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