Med School profs garner teaching awards

In order to honor excellence in teaching, the School of Medicine recently released a list of annual award recipients. Medical students, residents, faculty and health staff submitted nominations for the awards, which went to 15 University professors. "The school looks at this as a way that we can identify the faculty who, in the eyes of the students, are really the outstanding teachers," Vice Dean for Education Gail Morrison said. The 15 recipients have amassed a totla of over 150 years of experience at the University in fields ranging from Neuroscience to Gynecology. This year's Leonard-Berwick Memorial Teaching AwardE-- honoring young professors -- went to Medicine Professor Horace DeLisser. DeLisser, who first came to the University as a medical student in 1981, currently studies inflammation and the formation of new blood vessels. He stressed the importance of interactions between faculty and students, noting that "for me the biggest joy is seeing them succeed, seeing them learn and seeing them grow." Psychiatry Professor Cabrina Campbell -- who received the Blockley-Osler Award -- also noted the crucial connections between faculty and students. In addition to treating patients at the Veterans Administration Medical Center and conducting research on schizophrenia in collaboration with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Campbell is a mentor to minority undergraduate students and medical students. Anesthesia Professor Robert Gaiser received this year's Robert Dunning Dripps Memorial Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education. Gaiser, according to the Almanac, has been a model for doctors considering the field of anesthesia. One former student was quoted as saying "his interaction with Dr. Gaiser was a deciding factor in his decision to become an anesthesiologist." The Dean's Awards for Excellence in Clinical Teaching at an Affiliated Hospital went to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Pediatrics Professor Louis Bell, Jr., CHOP Pediatrics Professor Gregory Keenan and Graduate Hospital Surgery Professor Sean Harbison. Bell -- who has been on staff since 1986 -- specializes in pediatric emergency medicine and infectious diseases. He emphasized the opportunities available in the emergency department -- such as research for undergraduate students. Keenan is a rheumatologist who takes care of adults and children at HUP and CHOP. "It's a nice recognition for trying to be a good educator in a situation where demands for patient care and being pulled in a number of directions makes it difficult," he said. Harbison -- the third professor to receive the award -- is the Surgery 200 clerkship director at the Graduate Hospital and, according to the Almanac, "has been designated as instrumental in making the experience of Penn students at that institution truly positive." Additional Dean's Awards for Excellence were given in the field of Graduate Student Training to Microbiology Professor James Alwine, Psychology Professor Irwin Lucki and Pharmacology and Obstetrics and Gynecology Professor Trevor Penning. "It's very nice to have one's students honor you with this recognition," said Alwine, who conducts research in the area of molecular virology. Lucki and Penning were both credited with outstanding contributions in their fields and dedication to students. In the field of Basic Science Teaching, the Dean's Awards went to Biochemistry and Biophysics Professor Emeritus Joel Flaks -- who was cited by the Almanac as having "played a crucial role" in creating the biochemistry course -- and CHOP Pediatrics and Genetics Professor Nancy Spinner, who runs a research program studying the disease alagille syndrome. Orthopedic Surgery Professor and Director of Splinting and Casting Anthony Searles was the first recipient of the Medical Student Teaching by an Allied Health Professional award. And a Special Dean's Award went to CHOP Pediatrics Professor William Schwartz, who has been working at the Medical School for 30 years. The awards given by students went to VAMC Medicine Professor Francis Sterling and Neuroscience Professor Alan Rosenquist. Sterling -- who joined the faculty in 1967 -- has won the award 13 times over the course of his career. Rosenquist is the chairperson of the "Brain and Behavior Organ System" component of the Curriculum 2000, the new Medical School curriculum that will begin next fall.