Outstanding faculty set for spotlight at Faculty Convocation

By Tom Gresham

University News Services

Four distinguished faculty members will be honored on Sept. 19 during Virginia Commonwealth University’s 24th Opening Faculty Address and Convocation at the VCU Medical Center.

Each year, VCU recognizes faculty members at the Convocation for excellence in teaching, scholarship, service and overall excellence. Honorees this year include Alpha A. Fowler, M.D., the University Distinguished Teaching Award; Richard A. Glennon, Ph.D., the University Award of Excellence; Robert Hobbs, Ph.D., the University Distinguished Scholarship Award; and Michelle Whitehurst-Cook, M.D., the University Distinguished Service Award.

A reception precedes the event at 3 p.m. in the Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building at 1217 E. Marshall St. The Convocation follows at 4 p.m.

Fowler, chair of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, has collected a slew of teaching awards during his 25 years at VCU, including the 2006 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching from the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia.

VCU medical students have honored Fowler with the Outstanding Teaching Award on multiple occasions, and he has received the Best Faculty Teacher Award from the Department of Internal Medicine house staff every year he has been eligible. Fowler also received the Irby-James Award for excellence in clinical teaching.

Glennon, professor of medicinal chemistry in the School of Pharmacy, gained prominence as one of the pioneers of the drug discrimination paradigm, which is a procedure that uses animal models to identify how drugs act in the brain. Glennon’s research has not only proved groundbreaking in studying drug abuse, but has been valuable in investigating schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and migraine headaches.

In addition to his work as a researcher, Glennon, whose honors include the American Pharmaceutical Association Research Achievement Award, is also a committed teacher who has seen more than 100 people advance from his lab to positions in academia, government and industry.

Hobbs, the first Rhoda Thalhimer Chair of American Art in the Department of Art History, is one of the most respected historians of contemporary art in the world. Hobbs is the author or co-author of 17 books and 14 exhibition catalogs, including the first major works on 10 contemporary artists. He has also curated more than 45 national and international exhibitions.

Hobbs’ work has reliably attracted critical praise. His exhibitions and books have accumulated seven favorable reviews in The New York Times and three times the newspaper has recognized either a Hobbs’ book or exhibition as one of the top 10 of the year.

Whitehurst-Cook, associate dean of admissions in the School of Medicine, came to VCU in 1993 to serve as a professor in the Department of Family Practice. She has served as director of pre-doctoral programs in the Department of Family Medicine, chair of the School of Medicine Admissions Committee and co-physician coordinator for the Foundations of Clinical Medicine course.

Whitehurst-Cook also directs the Inner City/Rural Preceptorship Program, which provides educational experiences for medical students interested in providing care to the underserved. Her volunteer work includes efforts with Richmonders Involved in Strengthening Communities on the topic of reducing truancy in city schools, and visits to Wise County to participate in the Remote Area Medical Clinic, which offers free medical treatment.