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School of Nursing 2017 Teaching Awards

Dean’s Award for Exemplary Teaching

caption:Anne Teitelman

Anne M. Teitelman is the Patricia Bleznak Silverstein and Howard A. Silverstein Endowed Term Chair in Global Women’s Health and an associate professor of nursing. Dr. Teitelman was nominated by her doctoral students and selected for her commitment to teaching, advising and mentoring which enables her students to fully develop as nurse scholars. In addition to being able to skillfully convey her expert scholarly content knowledge, Dr. Teitelman communicates complex concepts and abstract topics in ways that meet the individual needs of each student. By doing so, she is able to prepare and drive her students towards their highest levels of intellectual growth and rigorous scientific research scholarship. She is fully present and available to her students and serves as an advocate for them in building their leadership and networking skills. One of her students commented, “Dr. Teitelman excels in stimulating students and actively engaging them in interactive, hands-on projects where they are able to learn from her mastery of rigorous community-based intervention work.” Another stated, “Dr. Teitelman provides the perfect balance of guidance, trustworthy support, feedback and knowledge for each of her students – an invaluable and rare skill … she is an incredible role model and inspiration. We have been fortunate to work with and learn from her.”

Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence

caption:Kathleen Brown

Kathleen M. Brown, practice associate professor in the family and community health department has been with the School of Nursing since 1993, teaching students across curricular levels and across disciplines. She was nominated by faculty, students and alumni for her dedication, passion and innovative teaching style, that expands the professional growth of her students and teaching colleagues. With a focus on forensic mental health, forensic science and victimology, she led a series of interdisciplinary courses that were known across the University and within the Philadelphia Prison System that left an indelible impact on students, faculty, and on the incarcerated and newly released from prison with whom she worked. One of her students noted, “Dr. Brown brought two groups together, students and inmates, to teach and learn from each other. The course pushed us to learn new things and go outside our comfort zones…while skillfully guiding our learning experience. I have never taken a course like that before and am so grateful to have had the opportunity and the mentorship.” A faculty colleague wrote, “Reflecting upon…those ‘peak educational experiences’ that we hope to experience…and to inspire…I experienced a few of those moments as a result of Kathy’s wisdom and encouragement, and am deeply grateful to have been a teacher, and a learner, with her.”

Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence

caption:Patricia Griffith

Patricia Griffith is an advanced senior lecturer in the biobehavioral health sciences department teaching in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program (AGACNP), which is consistently ranked among the top tier master’s programs nationally. She was nominated by the 2017 class of AGACNP students for being an extraordinarily and highly supportive teacher. An exceptional clinician, Ms. Griffith combines her extensive knowledge and experience with an understanding of the unique needs of each student. She has a deep understanding of the content which enables her to translate complex concepts in a clear and concise way reducing any pressure the students may feel in dealing with content for the first time. Her students also appreciate her compassion and understanding as they seek balance between their professional and personal lives. Her students noted that “…Patti has instilled a confidence in me that makes me feel that I can put my family first and still bring my ‘Penn game’ to wherever I work…” and that “Patti Griffith is more than just a teacher to us—she is a role model, motivator, trusted adviser, and friend.” She is also widely respected by faculty and clinician colleagues for her innovative and interdisciplinary style which includes the development of an interprofessional clinical immersion model for medical and nursing students.

Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Scholarly Mentorship

caption:Eileen Lake

Eileen T. Lake is the Jessie M. Scott Endowed Term Chair in Nursing and Health Policy and an associate professor of nursing in the biobehavioral health sciences department. She was nominated by students for exceptional mentoring as demonstrated by her ability to adeptly guide her students through the many complex stages associated with creating and implementing a program of research for the first time. She is able to simultaneously challenge and nurture students igniting their long-term interest in nursing research and in pursuing doctoral education. She encourages and assists students in developing projects that integrate their own questions and ideas. As a result of her mentorship, her undergraduate student mentees have obtained small grants, presented their projects at interdisciplinary meetings and sought publication for their projects. Dr. Lake also seeks out opportunities for students to build a network of researchers which is vital to successful scholarship. One of her students stated, “Dr. Lake is a brilliant researcher, professor, and mentor who is invested in the next generation of research scholars. She cares deeply about her students and expresses it by inspiring them to reach ever greater heights in their professional roles.”

Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Advising

caption:Connie Scanga

Connie B. Scanga is a practice professor of nursing in the biobehavioral health sciences department. She teaches anatomy, physiology, and physical assessment to nearly every traditional BSN student in the School of Nursing. Among students, faculty and staff, she is considered an exemplar in undergraduate advising both inside and outside the classroom. Fully understanding the stress associated with the demands of the nursing program, she educates her advisees on a variety of coping mechanisms and provides them opportunities to hear from experts across the University to further insure their success. She truly cares about her students and makes herself available to them at all times. Having played a role in the development of the undergraduate curriculum, she is considered an expert in its nuances but will also go out of her way to find answers for students to questions she may not know. A student noted, “Dr. Scanga sets the bar high both in academic learning and in personal development…she has believed in me when I did not believe in myself.” A staff member stated, “Dr. Scanga is a role model in the advisor role. She listens and observes, is accessible and assists students as they transition from high school to college to the professional arena and even then, students stay in touch with her long after graduation.”

Dean’s Award for Exemplary Professional Practice

caption:Kimberly Trout

Kimberly K. Trout, assistant professor of women’s health is a member of the family and community health department in the School of Nursing and a certified nurse midwife at Pennsylvania Hospital. Since receiving her MSN from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in 1987, Dr. Trout has practiced as a nurse midwife in a variety of urban, suburban and remote rural area practices including service as midwifery director at J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. While in this role, she initiated several quality and safety initiatives that dramatically reduced infant mortality rates at the hospital which had previously been some of the highest in the Commonwealth. In her current role at Pennsylvania Hospital, where she conducts research, practices and teaches nurse-midwifery students and new resident physicians, she is renowned for her expertise in physiologic labor and birth. Since joining the faculty at the School of Nursing, she has been highly successful in building links between the School and both Pennsylvania Hospital and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania further enhancing interdisciplinary health care in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Trout was recently appointed as a University representative to the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization working group to decrease maternal mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dean’s Award for Exemplary Citizenship

caption:Lisa Lewis

Lisa M. Lewis is the assistant dean for diversity and inclusivity and an associate professor of nursing in the family and community health department. She has demonstrated a long-term commitment to equity, access and quality care through her teaching and research in the field of health disparities. This has been demonstrated by her leadership of a team of faculty in the development of a new undergraduate course which teaches how to provide equitable and sensitive care to diverse individuals across the lifespan. Her research, with a focus on faith-based interventions for hypertensive black adults, has developed strong community partnerships and led to her participation on a White House Forum on Women and the Economy and a panel on The State of Black Women’s Health, for the US Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Lewis was nominated by faculty and staff for her extraordinary leadership and management of the concerns and anxiety generated across the School as a result of the 2016 Presidential election. Her calm and compassionate style brought the School of Nursing community together in a number of forums providing them ample opportunity to express their apprehension and to quiet their fears. One of her nominators commented, “…we were comforted …when we came together as a school and reconfirmed Penn Nursing’s commitment to social justice as a core value of our mission...”

Student Nurses at Penn Undergraduate Award for Teaching

Lisa M. Lewis, who also won the Dean’s Award for Exemplary Citizenship, is the assistant dean for diversity and inclusivity, associate professor of nursing in the family and community health department, and faculty director at Gregory College House. In all her roles, Dr. Lewis is renowned for being a remarkable teacher and mentor to students. She challenges her students to reach their highest potential, creating a safe and supportive learning environment that promotes trust and critical thinking. Both as an educator and as a mentor at Gregory College House, she operates within a framework of mutual civility and social justice inspiring the same in her students. A student nominator remarked, “When I imagine the kind of nurse and educator I want to be, Dr. Lewis immediately comes to mind. Her poise, passion and dedication to her work is truly admirable. She values the importance of mutual respect and goes out of her way to ensure that her students always feel comfortable. I can honestly say that I am a better person and am more prepared for my future nursing career for having known her.”

Graduate Student Organization Graduate Nurse Educator Award

caption:Kerry Shields

Kerry Shields is a lecturer in the family and community health department, at the School of Nursing as well as a pediatric critical care nurse practitioner at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She serves as an associate program director in the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program (PACNP) where her focus is in critical care. Ms. Shields is considered by her students to be a holistic educator who freely shares her expertise and wealth of clinical knowledge. She challenges her students but provides just the right amount of support as she prepares them for clinical practice on the youngest and sickest of patients. She imparts her own insight and wisdom as she explains complex health care ethics philosophies helping them to identify their own moral framework to enhance their clinical decision-making skills. In addition to preparing her students academically, she also educates them on how best to care for themselves in the stressful pediatric acute care environment. As one of her students noted, “Kerry Shields truly embodies the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing motto: ‘Care to change the world.’ Kerry indeed cares to change the world and the future of nursing through the individual students that she nurtures.”

Barbara J. Lowery Doctoral Student Organization Faculty Award

caption:Jianghong Liu

Jianghong Liu is associate professor of nursing in the family and community health department, and associate professor of public health in the Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Liu’s students nominated Dr. Liu for her dedicated mentoring and unwavering support as they pursue their PhD in nursing. She involves them in her NIH-funded studies and encourages their questions and critical thinking in developing their own program of research. She walks them through the process of preparing and revising manuscripts and  reviewing journal articles, and provides them opportunities to sharpen their teaching skills. She is known for her ability to motivate and encourage her students to develop research skills, critical thinking, and creative approaches to solving problems. Dr. Liu’s students say that as a role model, “…she is an excellent, hardworking and productive nursing researcher who gives us the emotional and academic support we need to succeed.” Dr. Liu’s excellence as a mentor is demonstrated by this success which includes one student being awarded a research grant and a second place designation for a conference poster and four students publishing as first author. Her students stressed their gratitude for the personal interest Dr. Liu takes in them and the time she devotes to their progress in all doctoral endeavors. 

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