The Academy for Excellence in Education is pleased to announce Mario Davidson, PhD, is the recipient of the 2022 Geoffrey David Chazen Faculty Award for Innovation in Medical Education.
The Geoffrey David Chazen Award was first awarded in 1998. The award was established to honor the memory of Dr. Chazen, a Vanderbilt School of Medicine alumnus. This award for innovation in medical education was established to recognize a student, resident, fellow or faculty member who has made special contributions to the educational programs of the VUSM through the development and implementation of effective innovation in educational approach.
Although some of the early recipients of the Chazen Award were faculty members, over time the award transitioned to a student award. With the grateful support of the Chazen family, two Chazen awards, one for students, which is given out at Class Day and awarded by a different mechanism, and a second award for faculty members have been established. This faculty award is administered by the Academy, but is open to all members of the VUSM faculty
Davidson, an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatics, is being recognized for his tireless efforts to improve biostatistical teaching and training for medical investigators at Vanderbilt and beyond. His educational innovations include a course he designed on Statistical Collaboration in the Department of Biostatistics. He developed the framework based on a deep understanding of both how people learn and a holistic vision for developing collaborative statisticians. Davidson’s support of existing and newly established programs to cultivate diversity in medicine has also included direct involvement in the planning and execution of the brand-new Vanderbilt Biostatistics Summer Internship for Underrepresented Undergraduates, with its inaugural season set to launch this May.
