Recognizing Those Dedicated to Students, Research and Patient Care

Many faculty members work tirelessly for the greater good of patients and students as well as research. They may not be in the limelight at all times, but they are committed to being the best and making a difference. They are the unsung heroes.

Recently, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine honored more than 160 of these faculty members at the annual Dean’s Faculty Appreciation ceremony. The Dean’s Awards were created to honor outstanding and dedicated support in medical education, research, patient care and administration.

Steven L. Berk, M.D., TTUHSC executive vice president, provost and School of Medicine dean, said these faculty exhibit outstanding commitment and service and have been instrumental in advancing the School of Medicine’s mission.

“We are grateful to an outstanding faculty,” Berk said. “Faculty who have molded our students into excellent physicians, cared for our patients, served our community and found new treatments for disease.”

Unsung Hero Awards
These awards are nominated by the chair of the department. Recipients are considered 'go to' persons who can always be relied on. The recipients are:

Sandra Whelly, Ph.D.
Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry

Lan Guan, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Cell Physiology & Molecular Biophysics

Craig Bradley, M.D.
Department of Family & Community Medicine

Joe Fralick, Ph.D.
Department of Immunology & Molecular Microbiology

Fred Hardwicke, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine

Anthony Hewetson, M.S.
Department of Medical Education

Chuang-Kuo Wu, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Neurology

Dana Phillips, M.D.
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Jerry Grimes, M.D.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation

Mitchell Wachtel, M.D.
Department of Pathology

Gary Brown, D.O.
Department of Pediatrics

Marina Chavez, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry

Dixon Santana, M.D.
Department of Surgery

Dean’s Faculty Awards include:

Dean’s Teaching Awards
Recipients have several years of sustained excellence in teaching as demonstrated in student and peer evaluations, evidence of strong commitment to the educational process, innovation and/or originality in teaching.

Dean’s Basic Science Teaching Award – MS I – Abdul Hamood, Ph.D.

Dean’s Basic Science Teaching Award – MS II – Gilbert Berdine, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, and Brian Pomeroy, M.D., Department of Pediatrics

Dean’s Clinical Teaching Award – Michelle Tarbox, M.D., Department of Dermatology

Dean’s Educational Innovation Award. This award recognizes a faculty member who has developed and introduced a new program or process that has contributed significantly to helping the School of Medicine meet its educational mission.

Betsy Jones, Ed.D., Department of Medical Education and Thomas Pressley, Ph.D., Department of Medical Education

Dean’s Douglas M. Stocco Scholarship/Research Award. This award recognizes a faculty member for his or her accomplishments in research/scholarship demonstrated by original, high-impact publications, external funding, national/international peer recognition, and research awards.

Michael Conn, Ph.D., Department of Internal Medicine

Dean’s Distinguished Faculty Service Award. This award recognizes a faculty member for his or her outstanding service to the institution and the community that exceeds performance of normal responsibilities and has greatly contributed to the development and progress of the School of Medicine.

Sandra Whelly, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry

Departmental Awards

Outstanding Achievement in Teaching. This award is based upon medical student feedback received by the dean during the past year.

Department of Pediatrics

Outstanding Achievement in Research. This award is based upon grant dollars received by the Department during the past year.

Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology.

Outstanding Achievement in Patient Satisfaction. This award is based upon Press-Ganey patient satisfaction ratings received by the department during the past year.

Department of Dermatology and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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