The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine will honor the first recipient of the Dr. Bernell Dalley Endowed Professorship in Medical Education at 5 p.m. May 10 at the TTUHSC Academic Classroom Building foyer, 3601 Fourth St.

Steven L. Berk, M.D., TTUHSC executive vice president and provost and dean of the School of Medicine, said the professorship is a lasting memorial to an individual, his dedication to the medical profession and his contributions to the community and students he has educated.

“Dr. Dalley is professor, mentor and trusted advocate,” Berk said. “His teaching has earned him personal respect and admiration from his colleagues and the more than 3,000 students he has taught and encouraged for more than 35 years. He leaves a wonderful legacy for our medical students and institution.”

Dalley graduated from Brigham Young University with his Master of Science degree in 1970. He came to the newly established TTUHSC School of Medicine in 1974 with a plan to be on faculty for five years. When he arrived in Lubbock, the TTUHSC building was not built yet. The School of Medicine was housed at Drane Hall on the Texas Tech University campus. At that time there were only 40 medical students.

Since then, he has served as an associate professor of cell biology and anatomy, graduate faculty and associate dean of the Office of Admissions and Minority Affairs. He was the chair of the Joint Admissions to the Medicine Program Council for the State of Texas and was a member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education Steering Committee.

Dalley has received numerous awards including the John Aure Buesseler Memorial Award in 2008. Buesseler was the founding dean of the School of Medicine. The graduating students voted for Dalley to receive the teaching award. The 2012 School of Medicine class is the last Dalley recruited.

Vaughan H. Lee will be the recipient of the first Dalley Professorship. He has served as an associate professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry since 2001.

Lee has been the recipient of multiple teaching awards and is recognized for his excellence in teaching anatomy both by peers and medical students. His most significant contribution to medical education has been the restructuring of the TTUHSC anatomy course into a nationally recognized interactive, problem-solving format.

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