Every year, students at the College of Medicine – Phoenix nominate and recognize outstanding teaching faculty and residents for the following awards.

Educator of the Year Awards

  • MS1 – This award is given from first-year medical students to a single faculty member for the first year of medical school curricula.

  • MS2 – This award is given from the second-year medical students to a single faculty member for the second year of medical school curricula.

  • MS3 – This award is given from the third-year medical students to a single faculty member for the third year of medical school curricula.
     
  • MS4 – This award is given from the fourth-year medical students to a single faculty member for the fourth year of medical school curricula.

Dean’s List for Excellence in Teaching

This award is given to faculty who received the second and third highest votes for each year for Educator of the Year Awards. Two awards for each year (MS1-MS4) will be awarded annually.

Educator of the Year Lifetime Award

This award is given to faculty who have received two previous Educator of the Year awards. This award is received the third time. Faculty who receive this award are no longer eligible to receive the Educator of the Year or Dean’s List for Excellence in Teaching awards.

Excellence in Teaching by a Block or Course

This award is given from the second-year medical students to a single block or course for the first two years of the medical school curricula.

Excellence in Teaching by a Clerkship

This award is given from the fourth-year medical students to a single clerkship (each site utilized in teaching will receive plaque) for the third- and fourth-years of medical school curricula. 

Excellence in Teaching in a Selective, Elective or Course

This award is given from the fourth-year medical students to the medical director of a fourth-year elective who best fulfills the mission of the College of Medicine – Phoenix to "...inspire and train individuals to become exemplary physicians..."

Outstanding Teaching by a House Officer

This award is given from the third- and fourth-year medical students to a single resident for each of the clerkships in the third and fourth years of medical school curricula. 

Excellence in Medical Student Mentoring Award

This award will recognize up to 5 faculty mentors each year who have been student nominated for mentoring in CCE, CHIP, scholarly project, pathways scholars, CODs or career development. Employed career advisors or course directors are not eligible.

Excellence in Educational Innovation Award

This award is given to a faculty member who shows outstanding initiative and ensures that active learning best practices are integrated within the session. This person actively pursues ways to improve content each year in the following ways: seeks novel and creative methods to integrate into sessions; promotes transfer of knowledge from homework to active learning; models an open attitude towards innovation; inspires and encourages session improvements in others; and provides an interactive session conducive to learning that engages and receives excellent student evaluations.

Inclusive Excellence Award

This award recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates exemplary leadership and manifests the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion through practical action. Recipients may demonstrate this commitment across a range of possibilities: student-centered inclusion initiatives; efforts to support recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty and/or students; teaching and/or research that expands and embraces our understanding of inclusiveness and/or health equity; multicultural programming or related initiatives; community outreach activities to marginalized or disadvantaged groups; mentoring underrepresented in medicine students, trainees or faculty; or several other possibilities.

Stuart D. Flynn Master-Educator 

This award honors a faculty member who has made significant contributions to the education of a class beyond their course and direct student assignment. Individuals awarded this honor demonstrate excellence and participation at every level like the founding Dean for which the award is named. The impact is not just in direct teaching but also in program development, curricular design, professionalism, mentoring and other. Faculty are nominated by students in the graduating class for the individual who had the largest impact on their education over four years. The student-selected faculty will be validated by a committee. The committee is advisory to the Dean who will make the final selection. This award is presented at the College of Medicine – Phoenix Commencement.