Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., at last week’s Spring Faculty Meeting for the School of Medicine. (photo by Joe Howell)
Meet updates VUSM programs, initiatives
Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine and associate vice chancellor for Health Affairs, led last week’s Spring Faculty Meeting, which was changed this year to a town hall-style format.
Among the topics Balser touched on were: the economy and how the School of Medicine and the Medical Center are managing these challenges; ongoing efforts to recruit additional faculty during the coming year with expanded clinical facilities at Vanderbilt Health at One Hundred Oaks and the new Critical Care Tower; the elevate program's broader focus on organizational development activities involving the academic enterprise; and increasing joint interdisciplinary academic programs throughout the University.
The meeting also included discussions covering topics as broad and varied as efforts to increase the diversity of junior faculty to the status of Vanderbilt's preparation for the H1N1 flu pandemic.
The Spring Faculty Meeting culminated with the presentation of this year's Academic Enterprise awards.
Excellence in Teaching
• Frank H. Boehm Award for Contributions to Continuing Medical Education — team winners: Jeffrey Dattilo, M.D., assistant professor of Surgery; Roger Dmochowski, M.D., professor of Urologic Surgery; Gerald Hickson, M.D., associate dean for Clinical Affairs and director of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy; and Daniel Beauchamp, M.D., chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences.
• Robert D. Collins Award for Teaching Medical or Graduate Students in the Lecture Setting — Neil Osheroff, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry.
• Gerald S. Gotterer Award for Innovation in Educational Programming that has Proven Effective — Albert Beth, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics.
• F. Peter Guengerich Award for Mentoring Postdoctoral Fellows or Residents in the Research Setting — Randy Blakely, Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology and director of the Center for Molecular Neuroscience.
• R. Michael Rodriguez Award for Teaching Medical Students, Residents and/or Fellows in the Clinical Setting —Bassel Abou-Khalil, M.D., professor of Neurology and director of the Division of Epilepsy.
• Elaine Sanders-Bush Award for Mentoring Graduate and/or Medical Students in the Research Setting — Alfred George Jr., M.D., director of the Division of Genetic Medicine.
• John S. Sergent Award for Teaching Medical or Graduate Students in the Small Group Setting — R. Stokes Peebles, M.D., associate professor of Medicine.
Outstanding Contributions to Research
• Research Enhancement Award for Development, Implementation and/or Creation of Technology that Elevates the Research and Science of Multiple Investigators — Phillip Williams, B.S., research associate professor of Surgery.
• Sidney P. Colowick Award for Research that Serves as a Platform for Discovery in Diverse Areas — Andrew Link, Ph.D., associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology.
• William J. Darby Award for Translational Research that has Changed the Practice of Medicine Worldwide — Italo Biaggioni, M.D., professor of Medicine.
• Ernest W. Goodpasture Award for Groundbreaking Research that Addresses the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases or Important Biological Problems in Immunity — Dean Ballard, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology and Immunology.