Michael Avidan, M.D.; William Clutter, M.D.; and Stanley Misler, M.D., Ph.D., were named the winners of the 2007 Samuel R. Goldstein Leadership Awards in Medical Student Education.
The annual awards, which recognize outstanding teaching, are among the highest honors that School of Medicine teachers can achieve. They were established in 2000 in honor of Goldstein, a longtime friend of the medical school.
A selection committee, made up of faculty and a student representative from each class, reviews all submitted nominations and selects three awardees based on excellence in and commitment to teaching and educational innovations. The committee forwards its recommendations to Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, for final approval.
“There are many deserving faculty members and several possible criteria for nomination, so choosing just three is always a challenge,” said Erika C. Crouch M.D., Ph.D., professor of pathology and immunology and chair of the selection committee.
Avidan is associate professor of anesthesiology and cardiothoracic surgery and chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and Critical Care. As a teacher, he leads small-group discussions for first- and second-year medical students and mentors fourth-year students, residents and fellows in clinical research. Students have described him as “the very definition of an exceptional teacher.”
Clutter is associate professor of medicine and associate director of the House Staff Training Program. For 23 years, he has been coursemaster of the endocrine pathophysiology course, which consistently receives very favorable student evaluations. He has also taught in the cell and organ systems course, teaches third- and fourth-year students as an attending physician and has participated in curriculum revision.
Misler is associate professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology, of cell biology and physiology and of biomedical engineering. Over the past 25 years, he has taught a wide variety of courses and introduced and developed the Integrative and Adaptive Physiology section, which is unique to U.S. medical school physiology courses. His highly personal teaching style includes a high degree of interactivity with students, poetry and music. He is considered among the most memorable medical school professors.
“The School of Medicine is very fortunate to have such excellent teachers on the faculty,” Shapiro said.
“Drs. Avidan, Clutter and Misler have exceptional reputations among students and their peers for their unwavering dedication, outstanding leadership and extraordinary personalities. These awards are well deserved, ” he said.
Avidan, Clutter and Misler will be recognized at Medical Education Day April 25.