Outstanding Educators
SIU School of Medicine faculty members are often recognized for their innovative teaching, student- and patient-centered approach, commitment to educational research, and development of effective curricula. The Academy for Scholarship in Education (ASE) selects an exemplary faculty member as an Outstanding Educator. To earn this prestigious honor, a faculty member must demonstrate excellence as an educator including exemplary teaching and facilitation of problem-based learning, use of innovative educational techniques, contributions to medical education research, and development of curriculum. An Outstanding Educator not only influences teaching and learning here at SIU School of Medicine and in the surrounding community, but also impacts medical teaching and learning on a national level.
Eligibility
All current, full-time faculty members who have taught at SIU School of Medicine for at least five (5) years and who have not previously won this award are eligible to be nominated for Outstanding Educator. Nominees may resubmit updated materials in subsequent years if they are not selected.
Nomination Process
In October, ASE will send a request for nominations (self-nominations are accepted). In November nominees will receive an e-mail notifying them of their nomination and outlining the application requirements. The selection committee will meet in January to review the materials, and the nominees will be notified of the committee decision by the end of January.
Below are the required application materials. All nominee-created materials should be in 11-12 point font, single-spaced, and have 1 inch margins. Only nominees who follow the following specific guidelines (including page limits) will be considered for the award. If you would like to use a template for compiling the information, you can access one here.
I. Statement of Teaching Philosophy (500 words maximum)
II. Curriculum Vitae (Curriculum Vitae format template)
III. Additional Materials (NO more than 20 pages in total)
a. Teaching Assignments for Last Five Years (Title, Class Number, Size), 1-3 pages
b. Summary of Learning Outcomes and Student Evaluations (compile pertinent student data from assessments and student evaluations and highlight key findings and narrative comments; do not send copies of course evaluations), 3-4 pages
c. Statement of Teaching Innovations (curriculum, practice, technology, mentoring), 1-3 pages
d. Sample Syllabi (or excerpts) that highlight innovations in course design, activities, assessments, and learning environment, 3-5 pages.
e. Journal, Book, or Grant Abstracts (emphasis on education-related research), 3-5 pages.
IV. At least three (3) and no more than five (5) letters of recommendation.
When the application is complete, submit a single, PDF copy of all the application materials including any attachments to academy@siumed.edu.
Selection Process
The selection committee only reviews complete application materials that conform to the above guidelines. Using an analytic rubric, the committee members review the application materials to determine the level the evidence reflects:
• A commitment to the SIU School of Medicine Mission http://www.siumed.edu/links/welcome.
• Excellence and reflection in the areas of teaching and student learning.
• Innovation in educational practices and curriculum development.
• Research in the field of medical education.
• Educational leadership within and beyond SIU School of Medicine.
Nature of Award
At the annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning, the Outstanding Educator will be formally recognized and receive an engraved, personalized plaque. The Outstanding Educator's name is also engraved on an SIU School of Medicine plaque that includes the list of prior award recipients. This plaque is located outside the Office of the Associate Dean of Curriculum and Education.
In the following academic year, the Outstanding Educator presents at a featured Academy event entitled Reflections on Teaching. This presentation is designed to inspire others and share the innovative educational approaches of the Outstanding Educator.
Our sister school of medicine, Aichi Medical University, in Nagakute, Japan typically invites the Outstanding Educators to travel and visit its campus.
For Further Information
If you have questions or want to learn more about the Outstanding Educator award, please e-mail academy@siumed.edu or call 217-545-2103.
Outstanding Educator Award Renamed
April 22, 2016 - Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has honored a former dean, a surgeon, faculty members and medical students for their outstanding achievements as medical educators. The honors were presented at the School of Medicine's Academy for Scholarship in Education's seventh annual symposium, held April 19.
The Educator of the Year Award was renamed the J. Kevin Dorsey Outstanding Educator Award in honor of J. Kevin Dorsey, MD, PhD., professor and dean emeritus who was dean and provost from 2001-15.
Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH, presented the award. "The committee reviewing the dossiers for the award realized that Dr. Dorsey - with his accomplishments as a medical educator, scholar and leader - embodied the award itself," Kruse said.
A student who nominated Dorsey for the honor said, "He has not only shaped my personal philosophy as an aspiring physician, but he has restored the ideal of empathy among the student body at large."
Dorsey has served in numerous leadership roles during his nearly 40-year career at SIU School of Medicine. He was one of the first faculty members hired in 1973 and taught the medical school's charter class as a biochemistry professor in Carbondale. He has been a researcher, educator, student, clinician, administrator and dean and provost. He is the first dean to hold a medical degree from SIU School of Medicine (1978) and only the third dean in the medical school's 45-year history. His present interests include promoting empathy and professionalism in the culture of health care institutions. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa (1981), a rheumatology fellowship at the American College of Physicians and the American College of Rheumatology, a postdoctoral fellowship in cell biology at Johns Hopkins University (1973), and he earned a doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin (1968).