TTUHSC Faculty Receive Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching and Research Awards

• By Suzanna Cisneros
• January 17, 2025
• Education

Texas Tech University System (TTU System) Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) President Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D., and TTUHSC Provost and Chief Academic Officer Darrin D’Agostino, D.O., presented the 2025 Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching and Research Awards today (Jan. 17). 

Recognizing academic excellence, the honors are the most prestigious awards granted to faculty throughout the TTU System. 

“Faculty members at the Texas Tech University System set the standard of excellence across higher education,” Mitchell said. “Our faculty members are innovators, collaborators, teachers and mentors who transform lives and create solutions for the challenges facing our state, nation and world. It is an honor to recognize this year’s Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching and Research Awards awardees, and we look forward to celebrating their continued success.”

The Chancellor's Council Distinguished Teaching Awards recognize faculty members for teaching excellence, as demonstrated by their attainment of distinction both within and beyond the institution for exceptional teaching and significant contributions to the field of education. The Chancellor's Council Distinguished Research Awards recognize outstanding research, scholarship and creative achievements of faculty members in the developmental stages of their careers. 

“These individuals are outstanding educators and researchers who inspire our students, push the boundaries of knowledge and leave a lasting impact on their fields,” Rice-Spearman said. “These awards highlight their dedication to academic excellence and innovation. We are so proud of their achievements and grateful to have them as part of our university family.”

 

TTUHSC honorees include: 

2025 Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award

Susan Bergeson, Ph.D., is a University Distinguished Professor and Kayla Weitlauf, M.D. Memorial Endowed Professor for Women’s Health in the School of Medicine Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry. She directs the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) Biotechnology Master’s Program, which she expanded to the Abilene campus. Additionally, Dr. Bergeson helped develop innovative dual-degree programs with Texas Tech University’s (TTU) School of Law and Rawls College of Business.

Since joining Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2007, Dr. Bergeson has been a research mentor for six Ph.D., one M.D./Ph.D., eight masters, eight medical, and 18 undergraduate students. She has served on 35 master’s and dissertation committees. Her teaching emphasizes critical thinking and bridging basic science with real-world clinical applications. She consistently receives exceptional evaluations and is honored with awards, including the TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy Research Days Distinguished Lecturer, Outstanding Biotechnology Teacher Award, Dean's Douglas M. Stocco Scholarship/Research Award, GSBS students’ nomination for Dean’s award committee for graduation awards, and TTU’s Mortar Board Apple Polishing Award. Dr. Bergeson is the only GSBS faculty member who has received the GSBS Researcher and Mentor of the Year twice.

She has received over $13 million in funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for her groundbreaking research, which focuses on Alcohol Use Disorder with an emphasis on sex differences and drug development. Dr. Bergeson and her students are currently funded to complete the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for a novel medication that reduces alcohol consumption and withdrawal symptoms. 

Dr. Bergeson has held key editorial roles, including Editor-in-Chief of Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, and actively contributes to advancing education and research within TTUHSC and the broader scientific community. 

Sarai Granados, M.S., is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Health Professions’ Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Program. A leader in innovative education, Ms. Granados has developed interprofessional collaborations, including a groundbreaking partnership with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center’s (TTUHSC) Institute of Anatomical Sciences, which provides students with hands-on anatomy experiences and bridges theoretical knowledge with real-world applications. Her commitment to active learning is further demonstrated through her use of technology, such as TrueLearn, for test preparation as well as other interactive teaching tools such as Complete Anatomy and SimuCase. 

Additionally, Ms. Granados has made significant strides in advancing interprofessional education (IPE). Her pioneering clinic for children with feeding disorders and food aversions utilizes a co-treatment therapy framework between speech-language pathology and occupational therapy students, addressing the diverse needs of pediatric patients. She has presented on this program at both state and national levels, promoting innovative approaches to IPE and enhancing TTUHSC’s visibility and reputation as a leader in collaborative education. 

Ms. Granados’s excellence in teaching is reflected in her consistently high student evaluations, averaging 4.8 to 4.9 on a 5-point scale. She has received multiple accolades, including the President's Team-Teaching Award, the Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Student Government Association’s Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award, presented consecutively for the last three years. 

She also serves on various committees, contributing to the institution's well-being and development and highlighting Ms. Granados’ willingness to collaborate with colleagues across departments and disciplines. These include the School of Health Professions Committee for Awareness, Research, Education and Service (CARES), the Ambulatory Clinic Policy Committee and the Infection Control Committee.

Krystal K. Haase, Pharm.D., is a Professor in the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacy Practice and the school’s Regional Dean at Amarillo. She is a board-certified specialist in Pharmacotherapy and practiced for 24 years as a critical care pharmacist in the medical intensive care unit at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo. 

Dr. Haase has served as a preceptor for over 340 pharmacy students and residents, established 15 new residency programs across four TTUHSC campuses and procured $1.86 million in external funding by creating residency affiliations. Additionally, Dr. Haase established the innovative PGY1/PGY2 Pharmacotherapy Residency and directed it for 15 years, training 40 residents who have advanced into prominent roles in academia, clinical practice and health care leadership.

She also led the creation of the school’s hybrid Pioneer Pathway curriculum, the first of its kind in Texas, which seated its inaugural class in fall 2024. She introduced innovative teaching methodologies, such as visual “memory anchors” for antimicrobial agents and the “Battle of the Bugs” competition for case discussion preparedness. Dr. Haase’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2017 TTUHSC President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and eight Teaching Team of the Year honors from the pharmacy school.

As a clinical scholar, Dr. Haase’s research focuses on optimizing medication therapy and expanding pharmacist roles in underserved areas. She has published 28 peer-reviewed journal articles, three book chapters, and two editorial reviews and contributed to national pharmacy education standards. Dr. Haase also serves on the editorial board for the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

 

2025 Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Research Award

Luis G. Cuello, Ph.D., is a Professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics and Director of the university’s Membrane Protein Core Laboratory. Renowned for his groundbreaking research in ion channel structure and function, Dr. Cuello has developed innovative approaches to studying membrane protein dynamics, which will contribute to the smart design of safer and more effective therapeutic drugs. His research has resulted in 44 peer-reviewed articles, including papers in Nature, Science Advances, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), with nearly 5,000 citations. Dr. Cuello has earned over $6 million in extramural funding, including a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Maximizing Investigators' Research Award and continuous funding by the NIH as a principal investigator since 2012. 

He is an exceptional mentor who has guided four Ph.D. students and more than 10 master’s students who authored scientific articles in Dr. Cuello’s lab. His dedication to education has been recognized with the TTUHSC Student Senate Outstanding Faculty Award in 2012, 2013, and 2014 and the 2024 Dean’s GSBS Outstanding Research and Student Mentor Award.  

Additionally, Dr. Cuello’s leadership in the department’s core laboratory has secured $400,000 from the NIH to acquire cutting-edge technologies, enhancing TTUHSC’s research capabilities and helping to maintain the national/international stature and extramural funding competitiveness of researchers university-wide.

He also serves on the editorial boards of Nature-Scientific Reports and Frontiers in Pharmacology journals and has been a long-standing NIH Ad Hoc reviewer. His passion for advancing biomedical sciences and mentoring future researchers exemplifies his commitment to research, teaching, and service excellence.