VCU School of Medicine Faculty Honored for Excellence in Teaching

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine faculty, clinicians, mentors, educators and researchers who are inspiring future generations of health professionals and researchers were celebrated for their achievements and excellence in teaching during the 12th annual Faculty Excellence Awards on Sept. 22.

Alan Dow, M.D., M.S.H.A, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, received the Enrique Gerszten, M.D., Faculty Teaching Excellence Award – the school’s highest teaching recognition that honors extraordinary accomplishment in all aspects of education. The award is given to a faculty member who is an outstanding teacher with a compelling record of contributions to education.

Dow has been described by colleagues as a “superstar” and a “stand out” as a teacher and leader in medical education – “boundless in ideas, innovations and energy,” and deeply committed to the well-being of the students he teaches and mentors.

In just the past six years, Dow has created several unique programs that have significantly enhanced the learning experience of medical school students and residents. One program created by Dow provides residents a learning opportunity in early patient assessment and intervention in the emergency department. He also developed a simulation-based intern orientation program and a theater-medicine curriculum that uses the technique of theater pedagogy to teach communication skills to healthcare workers.

This year’s Irby-James Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching was awarded to Barry V. Kirkpatrick, M.D., professor in the Department of Pediatrics, in recognition of superior teaching and professionalism in clinical medicine taught in the last two years of medical school and residency training.

Kirkpatrick has profoundly influenced the training of countless students. One recent student commented, “I not only learned a tremendous amount of medical knowledge from this man … but also life and ethical lessons of pediatrics.”

Richard M. Costanzo, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, and Paul H. Ratz, Ph.D., professor in the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Pediatrics, are the recipients of the Distinguished Mentor Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the career development of others, including colleagues, residents, fellows and students.

Costanzo has more than 30 years of funding from the National Institutes of Health, served on nearly 40 graduate student thesis committees and is the recipient of a number of teaching awards and recognitions. He is known for his ability to develop a personal connection with students and support them as they grow into a higher level of professional performance and accomplishment.

Ratz has been committed to teaching, professional leadership and service activities inside and outside VCU, while maintaining continuous grant funding since 1987 and publishing more than 100 research papers and abstracts. His mentees and colleagues describe Ratz as generous, honest and passionate about helping his students achieve their goals - his influence stays with his mentees long after they have moved on.

The Educational Innovation Award is given to an individual faculty member, group, program or an academic unit for significant educational innovation or educational research.  The award was presented to a team: the Molecular Diagnostics Practicum Academic Unit in the Department of Pathology. The academic unit included Catherine I. Dumur, Ph.D., an associate professor; Carleton T. Garrett, M.D., Ph.D., professor emeritus; and Andrea Ferreira-Gonzalez, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pathology.

The Practicum, which began as a one-week seminar series for the College of American Pathologists to teach faculty members about the field of molecular medicine, has transformed into an intensive two-week program offered once a month at the VCU Medical Center. The program was originally developed by Garrett and Ferreira-Gonzalez. It is now co-directed by Ferreira-Gonzalez and Dumur, and has become a requirement as part of the training for residents of the pathology program.

Mark H. Ryan, M.D., from the VCU Department of Family Medicine and family physician with the Hayes E. Willis Health Center, received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the Arnold Gold Foundation. This award underscores the value of humanism in the delivery of care to patients and their families.

Ryan’s countless activities include setting up free health screening events at locations around Richmond with large Latino populations and encouraging students at all levels to provide clinical and medical outreach in the Dominican Republic.

The Women in Science, Dentistry & Medicine Professional Achievement Award, which recognizes strong role models and mentors for women, was presented to Joann N. Bodurtha, M.D., M.P.H, professor in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics.

According to colleagues and mentees, Bodurtha “challenges her students to develop their own core values and sense of commitment to patients and their families.” As a dedicated clinician, she has a gift for connecting with patients, as observed by many of the students she teaches. Bodurtha is active on the research front and has been responsible for VCU grant funding totaling $15 million.

The MCV Physicians Distinguished Clinician Award, which recognizes clinical excellence among faculty, was presented to Peter A. Boling, M.D., professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Boling has dedicated his career to creating and championing high-quality, compassionate and cost-effective care to older adults. He has been engaged in enhancing geriatric clinical services and geriatric education for medical students, residents, faculty and other health care team members at VCUHS and the community.

Through the VCU House Calls program, Boling has been instrumental in reaching more than 5,000 people. The program provides an evidence-based setting for teaching 300 learners per year, including all VCU medical students.

The VCU/VCUHS Leadership in Graduate Medical Education Awards recognize outstanding contributions to medical education by residency and fellowship directors. These include awards for program director and fellowship director.

Diane M. Biskobing, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, received the LGME Fellowship Director Award for her innovative efforts and dedication to the endocrinology and metabolism fellowship program. Biskobing has developed a highly regarded core-competency-based curriculum combining didactic learning and clinical experience.

Samuel M. Jones, M.D., clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine, received the LGME Program Director Award for his strong leadership of the Fairfax Family Medicine Residency program at the VCU School of Medicine Inova Campus. Jones has served as a role model for the well-rounded clinician for the next generation of family medicine practitioners.

Evan R. Reiter, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, received the LGME Program Director Award for a model competency-based training program in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. Reiter founded and continues to organize the annual VCUHS Resident Research Day, an event that showcases research efforts and provides an opportunity for the residents to network and generate new ideas with colleagues at an earlier stage of training.

The School of Medicine also recognized faculty members for Outstanding Departmental Teacher Awards in health sciences education and  undergraduate medical education’s Best Teacher and High Evaluation in the Course/Clerkship awards.