School of Medicine's
2002 Teaching Awards

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The following nine full-time faculty members in the tenure and clinician-educator tracks were chosen by the Medical Faculty Teaching Awards Committee to receive this year's School of Medicine teaching awards. Nominations were solicited from faculty, house staff and students.

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The Leonard Berwick Memorial Teaching Award, established in 1980-81 by the Berwick family and the Department of Pathology, recognizes a member of the medical faculty who in his or her teaching most effectively fuses basic science and clinical medicine. The award this year goes to Dr. Carolyn C. Phillips, assistant professor of pathology and lab-oratory medicine. Dr. Phillips has been recognized for her teaching excellence and her commitment to education. Prior to arriving at Penn, she led a major curriculum revision for the medical student pathology courses (General and Systemic Pathology) at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Phillips joined the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn in May 1998 primarily to assume the responsibility for general oversight of Pathology education throughout Curriculum 2000 and to serve as the Course Director for General Pathology, which is now part of the integrated course called "Pathologic Processes and Clinical Responses (PPCR)." Students have praised Dr. Phillips and the PPCR course and when asked to list the "overall best aspects" about the course, students typically answer "Dr. Phillips." In June 2000, she received the Peter C. Nowell Teaching Award from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and in March 2001, she received the "Outstanding Discussion Group Leader" Award from the Penn medical students (Class of 2003).

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The Blockley-Osler Award was created in 1987 by the Blockley section of the Philadelphia College of Physicians and is presented annually to a member of the faculty at an affiliated hospital for excellence in teaching modern clinical medicine in the bedside tradition of William Osler. This year it is presented to both Dr. Elaine H. Zackai, professor of pediatrics and Dr. Kevin M. Fosnocht, assistant professor of medicine.

Dr. Zackai is professor of pediatrics at the School of Medicine and Director of Clinical Genetics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She has been a preeminent educator in human genetics at the University and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for over 25 years having fostered the training and careers of a cadre of individuals who have gone on to extraordinary careers of their own. Students commented that Dr. Zackai's combination of clinical skills and scientific rigor have taught them that the formula for success in medicine is expert examination, contemporary knowledge of science, critical thinking and above all, compassion for the patients. Dr. Zackai's ability to impart her enthusiasm for patients and their care to the students while concurrently teaching them the basics of genetics and diagnosis is illustrative of her commitment to and excellence in education. One of Dr. Zackai's peers wrote, "Perhaps the most telling attribute of an established teacher is the creation of a ‘school' of students who carries on his or her intellectual and academic interests."

Dr. Fosnocht graduated magna cum laude from Villanova University, with a degree in philosophy. He graduated from the Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine and entered the Internal Medicine Residency Program of HUP, where he was honored with the Maurice Attie Teaching Award in 1996. Upon completion of residency training, Dr. Fosnocht joined the faculty of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Penn, beginning an internal medicine practice at Presbyterian Medical Center, which is now the Penn Center for Primary Care. He was awarded the John Eisenberg Faculty Teaching Award in 2000, and, also in 2000 was the recipient of the John Templeton Spirituality and Medicine Award for Primary Care Residency Training Programs. Dr. Fosnocht exemplifies the art of bedside teaching by simultaneously addressing the needs of his patients and his student learners by providing the scientific foundation necessary for understanding the patient's condition and arriving at a diagnosis and treatment plan.

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The Robert Dunning Dripps Memorial Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education was established in 1983 by the Department of Anesthesia, recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies excellence in the education of residents and fellows in the areas of clinical care, research, teaching and/or administration.

This year it is presented to Dr. Steven L. Galetta. Dr. Galetta is the Van Meter Professor of Neurology. He received his undergraduate degree from Penn and his medical degree from Cornell University. Dr. Galetta is the Director of the Neurology Residency Training Program and the Division Chief of Neuro-Ophthalmology.

He has been repeatedly cited in Best Doctors of America for his clinical expertise in the field of Neuro-Ophthalmology. He has received numerous teaching awards including the Dinon and Lindback Awards. In 1998 he won the Louis Duhring award given to the outstanding clinical specialist at the Medical Center.

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The Dean's Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Training was established in 1992-93 to recognize excellence in graduate education. This year it is presented to Dr. William Ming Fu Lee, associate professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, and a member of the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group (CAMB). Dr. Lee fulfills his educational roles the same way he does his science: thoughtfully, devotedly, patiently and with integrity. His students commend the breadth of his scientific knowledge and interests, his expertise with scientific literature and his ability to impart this to others.

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The Dean's Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching at an Affiliated Hospital was established in 1987 to honor commitment to medical education and excellence in clinical teaching by recognizing outstanding faculty members from affiliated hospitals. Two recipients were chosen this year: Dr. Stephan C. Mann and Dr. Howard B. Panitch.

Dr. Mann is associate professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine and director of clinical psychopharmacology at the Mental Health Clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He received his undergraduate degree from Penn and his doctor of medicine from Jefferson Medical College. Dr. Mann has an extensive record of devotion to medical education extending back over the past 20 years. He has been cited repeatedly for his outstanding teaching by medical students and residents in psychiatry at the School of Medicine. Dr. Mann has long been involved in clinical research related to the neurobiology and psychopharmacology of the major psychotic conditions and he is recognized internationally as an expert on malignant catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome and related hyperthermic disorders in medicine and psychiatry.

Dr. Panitch is associate professor of pediatrics at the School of Medicine. He serves as the director of the fellowship training program in Pediatric Pulmonology and director of the clinical services, Division of Pulmonary Medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Panitch's dedication to, and effectiveness in teaching is well recognized by his colleagues, residents, and medical students. He is known for "his ability to foster an atmosphere of teamwork and an environment in which education is the primary goal. His teaching approach is highly scholarly and runs full circle from anatomy and physiology to pathophysiology and the bedside. Dr. Panitch has been described as a person "who exemplifies teaching and mentoring across the spectrum of medical practice and life."

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The Dean's Award for Excellence in Basic Science Teaching was established in 1987, and honors exemplary teaching and commitment to medical education specifically in the basic sciences.

This year it is presented to Dr. David L. Gasser, professor of genetics. For the past four years, Dr. Gasser has coordinated "Module 1: Core Principles," as well as presenting several lectures during the course. He is completely dedicated to medical student education and to Penn. He performs his job with impressive equanimity. Students commented that Dr. Gasser's enthusiasm for genetics was contagious and that his leadership of the course and organizational ability was a "phenomenal strength." He demonstrates great commitment to the students irrespective of their scientific background and he infused the course with exciting clinical cases that showed the relevance of the study of genetics to medicine.

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This year the award is presented to Dr. Robert M. Weinrieb, assistant professor of psychiatry at Penn and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Weinrieb is active in educating medical students, psychiatry residents, substance abuse fellows, and nonpsychiatric physicians and health care practitioners. Dr. Weinrieb's primary research interest lies in the treatment of addictive disorders in the severely medically ill. He is involved in multiple research projects, including studies of the use of Motivational Enhancement Therapy and case management with liver transplant candidates who have alcohol use disorders, and the effect of alcohol use on the immune system in hepatitis C infected alcoholics and HIV positive individuals coinfected with hepatitis C.  

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