A section devoted to profiles of renowned teachers and to the recognition and accomplishments of physiology teachers within the society

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The Physiology TeacherA section devoted to profiles of renowned teachers and to the recognition and accomplishments of physiology teachers within the societyPublished Online:01 Dec 2007https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00079.2007MoreSectionsPDF (154 KB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailWeChat PROFILESHilliard Jason: the Claude Bernard Distinguished LecturerThe highest honor within the Teaching of Physiology Section is to be selected to present the Claude Bernard Lecture during the Experimental Biology Meeting. The 2007 recipient was Hilliard Jason, MD, EdD (Fig. 1), who is currently a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine in the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado and Co-Director of the Center for Instructional Support located in Boulder, CO. His presentation, “Becoming a truly helpful teacher: considerably more challenging–and potentially far more fun–than merely during business as usual” is being published in this issue of Advances in Physiology Education.Fig. 1.Prof. Hilliard Jason.Download figureDownload PowerPointWhile at the University of Buffalo, Prof. Jason began his course work for a doctorate in education before completing the requirements for a MD degree in 1958. Three years later, he was awarded the EdD degree with the aid of a postdoctoral fellowship for a predoctoral student! After completing a residency in psychiatry, he became an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester with responsibilities to create their first Office of Medical Education. While developing their program, he became convinced that medical schools must become more progressive and make medical education central to the preparation of medical students. Subsequently (1966), he became Director of the Office of Medical Education Research and Development in the new medical school at Michigan State University.In this role, he was instrumental in Michigan State University becoming the model for having clinical information being incorporated into the basic science curriculum, using the problem-solving approach as a learning procedure, offering courses to first-year medical students that incorporated simulated patients and video recordings, and in developing and maintaining strong medical education affiliations with community hospitals.In 1974, he became the Director of the Division of Faculty Development for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and accepted the challenge of convincing medical school administrators that revision of the curriculum was not as important issue as was the need to improve the competence of the faculty who design and implement the curriculum. He believes he was reasonably successful in achieving that mission. While at AAMC, he conducted a major study on teaching and decision making in medical schools that impacted medical school administrators that involved 113 institutions and 28,393 faculty members. The published results can be found in the following references (1, 3).His experiences at AAMC served him well in 1978 when he became Director of the National Center for Faculty Development at the University of Miami School of Medicine. There, he offered extensive workshops while developing booklets, self-study documents, and instructional videos for faculty development. A major endeavour while there involved a comprehensive study of faculty and resident development in all nine Family Medicine residency programs in Florida (2). Twelve years later, after going to Miami, FL, he was appointed a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and became Co-Director of the Center for Instructional Support in Boulder, CO.Prof. Jason has been an energetic advocate for medical education, as demonstrated by his conduction of more than 500 conferences, workshops, and seminars and by the publication and production of 75 articles, 11 books, 25 chapters, and more than 50 educational videos. He has been a member of the Editorial Board of seven major educational journals and served as Editor-In-Chief of Education for Health: Change in Learning and Practice, which is a Medline-indexed journal of The Network: Towards Unity for Health, which is based in The Netherlands. During his career, he has served as a consultant to 80 medical schools and medical programs in 32 countries.Jeffrey L. Osborn: the Arthur C. Guyton Physiology Educator of the YearAt the 2007 Experimental Biology Meeting, the prestigious Arthur C. Guyton Physiology Educator of the Year Award was presented to Jeffrey L. Osborn, PhD. He is a Professor of Biological Sciences and Science Outreach Professor of the Appalachian Math Science Partnership at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY (Fig. 2).Fig. 2.Prof. Jeffrey L. Osborn.Download figureDownload PowerPointIn 1974, he graduated from Amherst College with a BA degree in Biology and was accepted into the Graduate Program at Michigan State University, where he received MS (1976) and PhD (1979) degrees in Physiology with Dr. Michael D. Bailie serving as his advisor. He then accepted a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Internal Medicine and within the Cardiovascular Research Center at the University of Iowa under the sponsorship of Dr. Jerry DiBona. After 3 productive years of acquiring an expertise on renin, release, the neural control of renal sodium and water balance, and the role of the renal sympathetic nervous system in genetic hypertension, he accepted a position in the Department of Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI, where he remained for 18 years. In addition to conducting research on hypertension, he taught medical physiology to graduate and medical students and became interested in science education outreach programs for K–12 students. In 1992, he was appointed Director of the Medical College of Wisconsin Center for Science Education, which became recognized for its grantsmanship, sponsoring summer science programs, offering inquiry-based laboratory projects, establishing a charter school known as the Academy of Science, and its leadership, which culminated in the founding of Milwaukee public schools. Before leaving Wisconsin (1999), he was named an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association (1987) and, in 1994, was presented the President's Award for Distinction in Research by the American Heart Association of Wisconsin. After a national search involving more than 120 candidates, he was selected (1999) to be the first Director of the Interdistrict High School Science, Mathematics, and Technology Resource Center at the Learning Corridor in Hartford, CT, with an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Biology and Neuroscience at nearby Trinity College. This $110 million science center received students from 12 districts in the Hartford area for grades 9–12 who were academically motivated toward careers in science and mathematics, while the Learning Corridor represented a 16-acre educational campus across from Trinity College that provided instruction to elementary school, middle school, high school, and academy of art students. In accepting the position, Dr. Osborn is reported to have remarked that we must “provide innovative educational opportunities for urban children. I am excited to join the Hartford community in creating a new generation of scientists who will lead America into the new technological age of the 21st century.”After demonstrating the reality of his vision, in 2003 he left Hartford and accepted his current position in the Department of Biology and became a principal investigator within the Appalachian Math Science Partnership program at the University of Kentucky. The objective of the current $2 million National Science Foundation-funded science teaching evaluation project is to learn more about the educational tools that effectively work to improve Appalachian students' science and math skills and will involve more than 10,000 seventh- and eighth-grade students during the next 5 years. According to Professor Osborn, his research will determine “whether students who have studied under middle school teachers who participated in [United Kingdom]-developed distance learning training in the physical sciences perform better than students learning from those same teachers prior to having conducted such training.”In addition to his impressive grantsmanship, Prof. Osborn is associated with the publication of more than 150 abstracts, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and chapters while being a frequent presenter at seminars devoted to the neural control of renal function and to the implementation of science education programs. In addition to being selected for the Arthur C. Guyton Physiology Educator of the Year Award in 2007, he was also selected by the University of Kentucky Alumni Association to be a recipient of their Great Teacher Award.RECOGNITIONSirbhinya Benyajati: an Outstanding Teacher at the University of Oklahoma Health Science CenterAn Associate Professor of Physiology in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry, Prof. Benyajati was selected to receive the coveted Stanton L. Young Master Teacher Award from the College of Medicine. This annual black-tie occasion at a nearby country club is associated with a cash award of $10,000 and extensive coverage by the local media.. For this award, teachers must go beyond excellence in the classroom or clinical rounds to touch lives and change attitudes. She was nominated for this award by members of Alpha Omega Alpha (a medical honor fraternity) and by the officers of the respective medical classes from 2007 to 2010. Prof. Benyajati teaches renal physiology and acid base physiology to first- and second-year medical students with ∼160 students per class. According to Dean Andrews, she has taught physiology to more than 3,000 medical and graduate students during her career at the university.Robert W. Blair: an Outstanding Teacher at the University of Oklahoma Health Science CenterAlso recognized by the College of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center was Dr. Robert W. Blair, Professor of Physiology. He received the Aesculapian Award from first-year (class of 2010) medical students for his dedication and excellence as a teacher and for his contributions to the art of teaching. This is the second time he has been a recipient of this award. His teaching responsibilities include 29 lectures in medical neuroscience to 162 medical students, 20 lectures and 2 team teaching exercises in human physiology to more than 200 students, and 3 lectures in a physiology course directed by Dr. Benyajati while serving as the Course Director for Medical Neuroscience and Medical Physiology.Howard H. Erickson: an Outstanding Teacher at Kansas State UniversityA Professor of Physiology in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology and appointed as the Roy W. Upham Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Prof. Erickson was the recipient of the 2006 IVX Animal Health Teaching Excellence Award for outstanding instruction of first-year veterinary medicine students. This award has had National Science Foundation support and is driven from the nominations of first-year veterinary medicine students. In addition to his teaching expertise, Prof. Erickson was acknowledged for his contributions to a veterinary telemedicine project.Stephen P. Halenda: an Outstanding Teacher at the University of MissouriA member of the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Missouri College of Medicine and an effective contributor to their basic science/problem-based learning curriculum, Assoc. Prof. Halenda was selected by first-year medical students as their teacher to receive the American Medical Association Service Award. There are 96 students in the class. During the academic year, Prof. Halenda serves as Co-Director of the Block Section devoted to cell and molecular biology, Coordinator of the second-year medical program, and as a facilitator and lecturer in other components of their curriculum.Michael S. Hedrick: an Outstanding Teacher at California State UniversityBecause of his excellent teaching, acknowledged prominence in the biological sciences, and for his service to California State University (East Bay, CA), Prof. Michael S. Hedrick was selected by the Academic Senate to receive the 2007 George and Miriam Phillips Outstanding Professor Award. Renowned for his mentoring and advisement of students, Prof. Hedrick's normal teaching load includes Human Anatomy and Physiology for second-year nonmajors (∼100–150 students), Animal Physiology for third-year majors (60–75 students), and Neurology for fourth-year graduates (35–40 students). On occasions, he also teaches a graduate seminar course in either physiology or neuroscience.Ronald J. Korthuis: an Outstanding Teacher at the University of MissouriNominated by departmental graduate students and colleagues, Dr. Korthuis, The Holm Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, received the Gold Chalk Award from the influential Graduate Professional Council in recognition of his dedication and service to the advancement of graduate student education and programs at the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Dr. Korthuis is an active participant in their basic science/problem-based learning curriculum, which requires an 8-wk commitment of ∼100 contact hours with no more than 8 students within any given group. There were 96 students enrolled in this course.Charles H. Lang: an Outstanding Teacher at Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineProfessor and Vice-Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Dr. Lang received the 2007 Distinguished Educator Award from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. This is a prestigious faculty award that recognizes one's impact on teaching and education that has been received by less than 5% of the eligible faculty members. His teaching responsibilities include being Course Director and Lecturer in the Integrative Basic Science course for ∼145 first-year medical students, Course Director and Lecturer in the second-year Renal Medicine course for essentially 145 students, and Course Director and Lecturer in the Physiology course for 25–35 first-year graduate students.Richard McCabe: an Outstanding Teacher at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic MedicineIn 2007, during the month of June, Assoc. Prof. of Physiology Richard McCabe received two impressive teaching awards. The first was the Outstanding School of Pharmacy Teacher Award from the School of Pharmacy, while the second was the John and Silvia Ferretti Distinguished Teacher Award from the College of Medicine. The former award was from the 2007 pharmacy students, whereas the latter award was given by the College of Medicine in recognition of Prof. McCabe's ability to stimulate and guide the intellectual development of students within the College of Osteopathic Medicine. For the College of Pharmacy, Prof. McCabe teaches Physiology and Anatomy I and II to more than 120 students and mentors ∼10 students in research electives. With the College of Medicine, his responsibilities include being Director of the Physiology course for ∼225 students and presenting 28 lectures on relevant topics while organizing numerous review sessions for interested students. In addition, he directs the Physiology Board Review course.David C. Poole: an Outstanding Teacher at Kansas State UniversityA Professor of Anatomy and Physiology and of Kinesiology at Kansas State University who is recognized as an international authority on oxygen transport in exercise and disease states, Prof. Poole was selected to receive the 2006 Meriel Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Veterinary Medicine. This award is the result of nominations from first-year veterinary students and is an outgrowth of a National Science Foundation grant to promote faculty development and mentoring.Michael J. Rovetto: an Outstanding Teacher at the University of MissouriThe Margaret Sullivan Award of the University of Missouri is in memory of an outstanding physiologist, and, in 2007, it was presented to Prof. Michael J. Rovetto for his significant contributions to the basic science/problem-based learning curriculum. A member of the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, Prof. Rovetto is the Director of the Block Six component, which is a second-year course for ∼96 students that covers pathophysiology of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematological systems. In addition, he serves as a facilitator for both first- and second-year students in the small-group discussions associated with their curriculum.Mary Pat Wenderoth: an Outstanding Teacher at the University of WashingtonEach year in Seattle, WA, the Alumni Association of the University of Washington conducts a poll in which the entire senior class votes for their “Favorite Professor” with the winner being invited to present a Last Lecture during a weekend before graduation. This year, Dr. Mary Pat Wenderoth, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Biology, was selected by the students for this honor and was designated as the Professor of the Year. This is not the first time she has been recognized for her teaching ability, as she was selected in 2001 for the University of Washington Distinguished Teaching Award. Courses taught by Dr. Wenderoth include Elementary Human Physiology and its laboratory, Introductory Biology, Foundations in Physiology, Mammalian Physiology, and Advanced Animal Physiology and its laboratory.L. Britt Wilson: an Outstanding Teacher at the University of South Carolina School of MedicineThe class of 2010 at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine selected Assoc. Prof. L. Britt Wilson as their Faculty Member of the Year. A member of the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, he serves as Director and Lecturer for the Medical Physiology course for ∼80 students.Jackie D. Wood: an Outstanding Teacher at Ohio State UniversityAt an Awards Ceremony in June, Dr. Wood, a Professor of Physiology, Cell Biology, and Internal Medicine, received the 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology and the College of Medicine of Ohio State University. Associated with the presentation was a plaque and a check for $1,000. The decision for the award came from nominations and evaluations from second-year medical students in the Gastrointestinal Block of the Integrated Pathway program within the College of Medicine and from first-year pharmacy doctoral students enrolled in a Physiology course in Systems and Organs Physiology that was supported by faculty members teaching these courses. Dr. Wood presents 12 lectures on gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology to 160 medical students and ∼130 pharmacy students.EDUCATIONAL GRANTSUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Neurons in Action Version 2: Understanding the Behavior of Normal and Abnormal Neurons”Ann E. Stuart, PhD, of the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology is the Primary Investigator for this 3-year National Science Foundation grant for $379,561 that will be completed in 2008. The goals and objectives are to develop version 2 of Neurons in Action, which was first published in 2005. Version 2 includes 25 tutorials and simulations on CD-ROM that are designed to acquaint students with how nerve cells work through interactive, virtual laboratory experiments. The tutorials will progress from single channels to axons, synapses, and cells while featuring movies of action potentials, plots of currents and conductances, and extensive explanatory material.REFERENCES1 Jason H, Westberg J. Teachers and Teaching in U. S. Medical Schools. New York: Appleton-Century Crofts, 1982.Google Scholar2 Jason H, Westberg J. Microcomputers in faculty development: the Florida FAC-NET Project. J Family Prac 19: 72–79, 1984.ISI | Google Scholar3 Westberg J, Jason H. The enhancement of teaching skills in U.S. medical schools: an overview and some recommendations. Med Teach 3: 100–104, 1981.Crossref | ISI | Google Scholar Download PDF Previous Back to Top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation More from this issue > Volume 31Issue 4December 2007Pages 308-311 Copyright & Permissions© 2007 American Physiological Societyhttps://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00079.2007History Published online 1 December 2007 Published in print 1 December 2007 Metrics