Two distinguished faculty members at UT Health San Antonio have been awarded the 2021 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award (ROTA) from The University of Texas System.
This year’s recipients are Annette Occhialini, MD, FACS, associate professor of cell systems and anatomy, and Barbara S. Taylor, MD, MS, associate professor of infectious disease. Dr. Taylor also serves as assistant dean for the MD/MPH program in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, in which both honorees serve.
Since 2008, the regents’ awards have recognized UT System faculty members who deliver the highest quality of instruction in the classroom, laboratory, field and online. This year’s 14 honorees from across UT System will be recognized at an awards ceremony in November.
“We are so proud of our two honorees,” said UT Health San Antonio President William L. Henrich, MD, MACP. “They are world-class educators. They served our students well with creativity, innovation and understanding during 2020 — the year with so many unknowns and challenges due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.”
Chairman Kevin P. Eltife said, “The best way to ensure students get the full promise of a UT degree is to provide them with outstanding faculty. On behalf of the Board of Regents, I extend our profound appreciation to these educators for their commitment to teaching excellence and passion for serving students.”
Recipients receive some of the largest monetary awards in the nation as a reward for outstanding faculty performance. Each faculty member receives $25,000, which will be distributed to the institution for disbursement directly to the award recipients for use in their department or program.
Chancellor James B. Milliken added, “I’m delighted we are able to recognize these exceptional educators who are so committed to engaging, teaching and supporting their students. I’m grateful to the Board of Regents for recognizing their impact on our students and our campuses.”
The winners are vetted by their peer colleagues, students and UT president before advancing to competition at the UT System level. In their evaluations of a candidate’s teaching performance, members of the review panel consider a range of activities and criteria, including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.
These UT Health San Antonio faculty members are featured in this video, along with the 12 additional Regents’ Awards winners for 2021.