The Academic Senate Recognizes Leaders in Teaching, Mentoring
Winners of the Academic Senate Distinction In Teaching and the Distinction In Mentoring Awards include, from left, David M. Naeger, MD; Katherine Julian, MD; Anita Sil, MD, PhD; and Stuart Gansky, MS, DrPH. Photo by Susan Merrell
The Academic Senate honored this year’s recipients of the Distinction In Teaching and the Distinction In Mentoring Awards at an afternoon ceremony held on May 13. David M. Naeger, MD; and Katherine Julian, MD; won for “Distinction in Teaching” and Anita Sil, MD, PhD; and Stuart Gansky, MS, DrPH; won for “Distinction in Mentoring.”
Anita Sil, MD, PhD
To select each year’s recipients the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel designates a selection committee comprised of faculty and student representatives from all four schools. The associate deans from each of the four professional schools assign student representatives.
The 2015 recipient of the Academic Senate Distinction In Mentoring Award for faculty at the associate rank is Anita Sil, MD, PhD, associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology.
“I was thrilled to win the Academic Senate Distinction in Mentoring Award at the Associate Professor level,” she said. “The most significant experience was reading the letters of nomination that people were kind enough to share with me. I am quite honored by their thoughts and will treasure those letters always. I do think it’s the 'UCSF way' to support each other, and am equally grateful for the mentoring I have received from faculty, staff, post-docs, and students.”
Anita Sil, MD, PhD, celebrates her moment at the Academic Senate awards ceremony with her husband and children. Photo by Susan Merrell
The 2015 recipient of the Academic Senate Distinction In Mentoring Award for faculty at the rank of full professor is Stuart Gansky, MS, DrPH, professor of Oral Epidemiology & Dental Public Health.
Stuart Gansky, MS, DrPH
“I want to thank my first mentors – my parents, Rose and Jack Gansky – for instilling in me to always treat people with respect and dignity,” he said. “And I want to thank my wife Karen, a special education teacher, who has supported me throughout my career and who has been a mentor to me especially in teaching. I am grateful to UCSF for providing me with an opportunity to do work worth doing.”
In his acceptance speech, Gansky also acknowledged some of his early mentors at UCSF, including Jane Weintraub, John Featherstone, Peggy Walsh, and Barbara Gerbert, who helped him learn and grow. He also credited Sally Marshall, former vice chancellor, academic affairs and faculty development, for emphasizing the importance of mentoring on campus and elevating the stature of mentoring.
Gansky then dedicated his mentoring award to a former student of his wife’s who passed away on the morning of the award ceremony, after a long, painful struggle with osteosarcoma.
“He taught me great life lessons about the importance of love, family and support,” Gansky said. “He showed me the importance in finding joy every day in life even when facing the biggest challenges.”
Stuart Gansky, MS, DrPH, stands with some of his personal mentors at the Academic Senate awards ceremony, which was held at the Lange Room of the UCSF Library. Photo by Susan Merrell
For 2015, the Academic Senate Distinction in Teaching Award for faculty at UCSF five years or fewer goes to David M. Naeger, MD, assistant professor of Clinical Radiology and Biomedical Imaging. He is also a member of the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators.
David M. Naeger, MD
“I’m still so surprised and honored to have received such an award,” he said. “UCSF has so many talented educators, many of whom have been my instructors and mentors over the years. Many people at this institution deserve high praise for their tireless dedication to teaching, and I’m humbled to be considered one of them.”
Naeger considers this award to be a strong statement to “keep going.” He said he really enjoys working within his department to improve the courses they offer, and recently he has been collaborating more and more with colleagues outside the department, particularly on helping develop parts of clinical curriculum that will fit into the overarching new curriculum being planned for the School of Medicine.
“I’m really looking forward to even more opportunities to help contribute to education at UCSF,” Naeger said.
David M. Naeger, MD, poses for a photograph with colleagues Emma Webb, MD, with the Department of Radiology, and Daniel Kim with the Gladstone Institute. Photo by Susan Merrell
The 2015 Academic Senate Distinction in Teaching Award for faculty at UCSF more than five years goes to Katherine Julian, MD, professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine. She is also a member of the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators.
Katherine Julian, MD
“I am so humbled by receiving this award as there are so many amazing teachers here at UCSF,” she said. “This recognition has allowed me to reflect on all the teachers I’ve learned from in my career. I’ve learned from teachers within my Department (Medicine), in our residency program, within my Division and from teachers at RADME, the Health Professions Education Pathway and in the Academy.”
Julian is a School of Medicine alumna (Class of 1996), who has been with UCSF for more than 20 years. She specializes in internal medicine and is based at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion.
Julian said she has been very fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful educators, which is part of the reason UCSF is so special to her.
Recipients of the Academic Senate Distinction In Teaching Awards and the Distinction In Mentoring Awards were honored at the Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty Awards Ceremony held May 13 at 3:30 p.m. in the Lange Room of the UCSF Library on the Parnassus campus.
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Katherine Julian, MD, shares her Academic Senate Distinction in Teaching Award with her family. Photo by Susan Merrell