Faculty Honored With Teaching Excellence Awards

Full Photo Gallery from the Event

Students from the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix on Monday honored faculty and residents who influenced and mentored them during the 2017-18 school year.

The awards are bestowed by each class of students on the downtown Phoenix campus under criteria set by the medical school.

Students selected individuals across the four-year curricula who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, served as an exemplary role model and gone above and beyond in supporting medical students, said UA College of Medicine – Phoenix Dean Guy Reed, MD, MS.

“There is no better way to end an academic year than by recognizing the people who worked tirelessly to train our students,” Dean Reed said. “I’d like to congratulate the recipients of these teaching awards, and while we cannot give awards to everyone, we deeply appreciate all of the teaching contributions of so many people over this past year.”

The Stuart D. Flynn, MD, Master Educator teaching excellence award, which recognizes extraordinary accomplishments in all aspects of education over all four years of medical school, was given to David Beyda, MD.

Dr. Beyda, chair and professor of the college’s Department of Bioethics and Medical Humanism, received the top faculty award during graduation ceremonies Monday, May 7, at Phoenix Symphony Hall. It is the second time he has been honored as Master Educator by the medical students. His previous award was in 2014.

He was selected by the graduating students as someone who “exemplifies the dedication, hard work, compassion and discipline that it takes to be a great educator,” Dean Reed said.

Dr. Beyda said he was surprised and touched by the students’ recognition. “It is truly an honor,” he said.

The Excellence in Clinical Teaching in an elective course, also given by fourth-year students to the medical director of the program that best fulfills the mission to “inspire and train individuals to become exemplary physicians,” was presented to Mary J. Connell, MD. She teaches diagnostic radiology at Maricopa Integrated Health System.

The award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching by a clerkship was presented to Jonathan Fisher, MD, emergency medicine clerkship director for Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, Maricopa Integrated Health System and Yavapai Regional Medical Center.

Third-year students honored Laura Mercer, MD, obstetrics and gynecology clerkship director, by awarding her the Excellence in Clinical Teaching by a clerkship. She directs OB/GYN clerkship programs at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, Maricopa Integrated Health System and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.

Third-year students also awarded outstanding teaching honors to house officers of the clerkship areas. Those named at ceremonies on graduation day were as follows:

• Emergency Medicine – Rachel A. Helping, MD, Maricopa Medical Center.
• Neurology – Mohammad Ammar Abdulrazzak, MD, UA College of Medicine – Phoenix.
• Family and Community Medicine – Viktoria Krajnc, MD, UA College of Medicine – Phoenix.
• Internal Medicine – Emma Simpson, MD, UA College of Medicine – Phoenix.
• Obstetrics and Gynecology – Heather Madden, MD, UA College of Medicine – Phoenix.
• Pediatrics – Timothy Bahr, MD, Maricopa Medical Center and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
• Psychiatry – Sondra Schultz, MD, UA College of Medicine – Phoenix.
• Surgery – Anchit Mehrotra, MD, UA College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Second-year students chose Elaine Niggemann, MD, as Educator of the Year. They also gave her the award for excellence in teaching by a block or course. She is the cardiovascular-hematology block director.

Dr. Niggemann, who received Educator of the Year award in 2017, said being honored by the students is especially rewarding.

“That’s the whole reason we’re here, to teach these students,” she said. “It’s such a compliment and it’s so nice to get the reinforcement from them. Medical school is hard. Congratulations to our students for being selected to come here, for choosing to come here and for all their hard work.”

First-year students named Rebecca Fisher, PhD, educator of the year.