Chancellor’s Council Awards Announced

Chancellor Kent Hance has announced the year's recipients of the highest awards given to faculty members by the university system.

The annual Texas Tech University System Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching and Research Awards were presented to six TTUHSC faculty members. Five faculty members from Texas Tech and two from Angelo State also received the prestigious awards.

"We have outstanding faculty at each of our component institutions, and these individuals represent the best in academic instruction and research," Hance said. "Not only are their efforts benefiting students and colleagues, but their influence is also helping advance our reputation statewide and nationally."

Distinguished Research Award Recipients

• C. Patrick Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D. Reynolds is a professor in the departments of cell biology & biochemistry, pediatrics, and internal medicine and director of the TTUHSC Cancer Center in Lubbock. One of the nation’s leaders in cancer research, Reynolds focuses on developing and testing treatments to fight adult and pediatric cancers in the laboratory and in clinical trials. He pioneered the development of a drug that is now used worldwide to cure certain childhood cancers and is actively developing other novel forms of chemotherapy.

• Leslie Shen, Ph.D. Shen is an associate professor in the Department of Pathology and researcher at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health. With more than 15 years experience in bone pathology investigating diseases such as osteoporosis, Shen’s research on bone health in women was selected as a feature project by the National Institutes of Health and is now highlighted on more than seven million websites worldwide.
• Quentin Smith, Ph.D. Smith is a University Distinguished Professor and Grover E. Murray Professor, as well as the senior associate dean for sciences in Amarillo. After transferring from the National Institutes of Health, Smith joined the university in 1997 to help build the School of Pharmacy and is conducting groundbreaking research in drug development and delivery to the central nervous system for the treatment of brain tumors, stroke and neurodegenerative disease.

Distinguished Teaching Award Recipients

• Kathryn McMahon, Ph.D. McMahon is a college master and professor in the Department of Medical Education at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, as well as the Jonathan and Patricia Rogers Endowed Chair. A national expert in Team Learning, McMahon has been with the university for 24 years and pioneered the Paul L. Foster College Master Program and Innovative Curriculum.
• Yondell Masten, R.N., Ph.D. Masten is interim dean, associate dean and a professor in the School of Nursing. Teaching at TTUHSC for more than 25 years, Masten has prepared generations of nurses and been frequently recognized as a distinguished authority in the health care industry.
• Steven Urban, M.D., FACP Urban is a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in Amarillo. Joining the university in 2000, Urban also serves as Internal Medicine Student Clerkship director, holds an endowed professorship in internal medicine and is the author of Internal Medicine Pretest, a best-selling McGraw-Hill review of internal medicine.

This is the 11th year for the Chancellor’s Council to present the awards. The winners each receive a medallion and a $5,000 cash award. The Chancellor’s Council raises funds for student scholarships and recruitment, faculty awards and support, and various other programs of excellence.