UT Health San Antonio faculty members Karin Barnes, Ph.D., OTR, K. Ashok Kumar, M.D., and Kristy Kosub, M.D., have been selected as members of the University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education.
Dr. Barnes is an associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy; Dr. Kumar is professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine; and Dr. Kosub is professor, Division of General & Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine.
The academy fosters excellence in education in the health sciences by recognition of outstanding educators and advancement of knowledge and innovation in the field of education. Members represent all UT System health science campuses and represent multiple professional backgrounds. It was named for former UT System executive vice chancellor Kenneth Shine.
“Drs. Barnes, Kosub and Kumar are recognized by their peers and their students as pre-eminent pedagogues, as well as scholars in their disciplinary area of expertise,” said Jacqueline Lee Mok, Ph.D., vice president for academic, faculty and student affairs. “All three are exemplars who will contribute significantly to the Shine Academy.”
Dr. Barnes, a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association, specializes in pediatrics and is a highly sought-after expert in the area of occupational therapy for school-age children with developmental disabilities. She was a founding member of the Department of Occupational Therapy and served as chair of the department for a decade before returning to teaching full-time this year. She was recently selected for induction into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018.
Dr. Kosub, a recipient of the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, is director of student education in the Department of Medicine. She has been deeply involved in curriculum development throughout her career at UT Health, and one of her main interests is creating new curriculum for students and residents in personal wellness. That includes serving as faculty advisor for students involved in the creation and implementation of Project 6-55, a reflective writing workshop pioneered here and and now being utilized nationwide.
Dr. Kumar, also a recipient of the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, models compassionate healing to family medicine residents. He’s also active in the community, teaching and lecturing at a high school and one middle school each year. In 2016 he was named Physician of the Year, the highest honor among Texas family doctors awarded by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.
Drs. Barnes, Kumar and Kosub will be inducted into the academy during the February 2018 Innovations in Health Science Education Annual Conference in Austin.