SAN ANTONIO (August 11, 2014) – Eight educators from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have been selected as winners of the 2014 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award from The University of Texas System.
Each honoree will receive $25,000 and will be honored at an Aug. 20 ceremony on the campus of UT Austin. This year the UT System will award a total of $2.4 million to top educators from its nine academic universities and six health institutions.
William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, president of the UT Health Science Center, said these eight eminent educators are deserving of this prestigious honor that recognizes their leadership, service and passion for teaching. “These innovative and inspirational educators are indicative of the culture of teaching excellence for which the Health Science Center is known,” he said.
Those honored from the UT Health Science Center San Antonio are:
• William P. Clarke, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology
Dr. Clarke is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and the recipient of a 2014 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award. During his 19 years at the university, he has taught young scientists and medical and dental students. He developed a new, innovative core course, “Fundamentals of Biomedical Science,” for beginning graduate students that fosters their critical thinking skills and understanding of core concepts.
• Archie A. Jones, D.D.S., M.B.A., professor of periodontics
Dr. Jones is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and director of the Predoctoral Division of Periodontics. For 33 years, he has taught students in all four years of dental school, postdoctoral students and dental hygiene students. He has developed or revised multiple dental school regular curriculum courses.
• Linda M. McManus, Ph.D., professor of pathology
Dr. McManus is a Distinguished Teaching Professor of pathology, recipient of a 2012 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award, director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, and a faculty member of the Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Studies.
During the last 35 years, she has taught health professional programs, provided research education and mentoring, and taught translational science for graduate level programs. She assisted in the development of a new graduate level program which led to the Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation.
• Jay I. Peters, M.D., professor of medicine
Dr. Peters is a pulmonologist, chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the School of Medicine and medical director of the Department of Respiratory Therapy in the School of Health Professions. For 30 years, he has taught generations of students, including pulmonary and critical care fellows, all of whom have obtained board certification. He also is active on the state and national level in the areas of asthma education and tobacco prevention.
• Linda Porter-Wenzlaff, Ph.D., M.S.N., R.N., clinical associate professor of nursing
Dr. Porter-Wenzlaff is a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Health Restoration and Care Systems Management in the School of Nursing. She is co-developer and coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Nursing Education Program. Dr. Porter-Wenzlaff has taught and coordinated graduate and undergraduate theory and clinical courses in health promotion, health systems, leadership, advanced finance, economics and policy, teaching curriculum, strategies and evaluation, professional development, family systems, student governance, teaching scholars, and animal assisted therapy in health care.
• Ruben D. Restrepo, M.D., RRT, professor of radiology
Dr. Restrepo is a Distinguished Teaching Professor, recipient of a 2010 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award, and director of Thoracic Radiology. He developed and oversees a Cardiothoracic Radiology Fellowship Program. With its success, he went on to create an Emergency Radiology Fellowship Program with the first fellows starting in July. He is dedicated to teaching students the benefits of multidisciplinary interactions and team work in simulated and real clinical scenarios to improve patient care.
• Ivy S. Schwartz, D.D.S., M.S.Ed., professor of general dentistry
Dr. Schwartz is a Distinguished Teaching Professor, the recipient of a 2005 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award, and director of the Comprehensive Dentistry Section of the Predoctoral Program of the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry. For the past 30 years, Dr. Schwartz has helped develop the School of Dentistry’s clinical education program. She serves as a mentor to college and high school students.
• Frank J. Weaker, Ph.D., adjunct professor of cellular and structural biology
Dr. Weaker, a multiple-year recipient of the Presidential Teaching Excellence Award, joined the university faculty in 1975. He is the only anatomist at the university who has taught three disparate anatomy courses: dental gross anatomy, microscopic anatomy and neuroanatomy. This testifies to his mastery of the subject. Since 1994, he has served as co-course director of Dental Histology. He teaches dental hygiene and dental students and is a guest lecturer in occupational therapy. He has taught generations of students, including some who are now faculty members.
With a monetary award of $25,000, the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards are among the largest in the nation for rewarding outstanding faculty performance. Given the depth and breadth of talent across the UT System, the awards program is likewise one of the nation’s most competitive.
Faculty members undergo a series of rigorous evaluations by students, peer faculty and external reviewers. The review panels consider a range of activities and criteria in their evaluations of a candidate’s teaching performance, including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.
Established by the Board of Regents in 2008, the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards complement a wide range of Systemwide efforts that underscore the Board of Regents’ commitment to ensuring the UT System is a place of intellectual exploration and discovery, educational excellence and unparalleled opportunity.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 29,000 graduates. The $765 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.