Nominations sought for Tupper Prize in Teaching

Nominations are being sought for the annual C. John Tupper Prize for Excellence in Teaching, the highest award given by the School of Medicine. Created by the founding dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, this award is intended to recognize quality teaching. Because the award is given by the School of Medicine for the educational contribution of a faculty member over a period of years or even a career, an individual could receive this award only once.

Among the criteria used to judge nominees are:

• command of the subject matter and the ability to relate it to the students

• ability to stimulate thought

• ability to teach students how to learn so that they can develop an independent program of sustained learning

• contribution to improved teaching

• concern for the education and welfare of the students

• advising and mentoring

• facilitating the educational experience of students

Candidates may come from either clinical or basic science as well as administrative faculty. Teaching by the latter group may include design of curricula in which the learning of all students is enhanced by sustained input into curricular development through contributions of time and skills.

Nominations are being solicited from the faculty, alumni and students. Nomination letters should describe the nominee’s qualifications, particularly those that set the candidate apart as a distinguished educator.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, March 27, 2006. They should be sent to:

Beth Sorensen
Records Office
School of Medicine, MS1-C
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-8661

The recipient of the C. John Tupper Prize for Excellence in Teaching will be announced at the School of Medicine’s commencement ceremony.

Previous Recipients:

1994: F. William Blaisdell, MD
1995: James Holcroft, MD
1996: Faith T. Fitzgerald, MD
1997: John T. Owings, MD
1998: David H. Wisner, MD
1999: Arun Rangaswami, MD
2000: James Holcroft, MD
2001: John Anderson, MD
2002: Ezra Amsterdam, MD
2003: Paul G. Fitzgerald, PhD
2004: Stuart Cohen, MD
2005: Vijaya Kumari, MBBS, PhD