UF Health Science Center Teachers of the Year

Henry A. Gremillion, D.D.S., an associate professor of orthodontics, has been named the 2002 University of Florida College of Dentistry Teacher of the Year.

Gremillion is internationally recognized as an expert on the diagnosis and management of temporomandibular disorders, and orofacial pain, occlusion and anatomy.

"Dr. Gremillion has a positive nature," said third-year dental student David Beach. "He is very thorough and takes the time to make sure you understand what he is teaching."

Gremillion, who directs the Parker E. Mahan Facial Pain Center and is an affiliate faculty member in prosthodontics, said his teaching philosophy is based on sharing concepts with students rather than lecturing to them.

"I try to share information in a manner that will aid their understanding of the basic concepts of dentistry so that they can blend scientific evidence with practical clinical application to enable them to provide optimum patient care," Gremillion said.

Gremillion said he also likes to provide many interactive experiences to the students, so they will be prepared for their practical experience.

Students have singled Gremillion out in the past; the class of 2000 selected him as the senior class Faculty Member of the Year. He also has received the Professionalism and Ethics Faculty Award from the American College of Dentists, Florida Section and was named the 2001 alumnus of the year at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry.

Gremillion also is an adviser to the college's most active student organization, the Christian Dental Society.

"Dr. Gremillion has been a wonderful role model to the members of the Christian Dental Society, as well as to all the college's dental students. He has been an active member of the society and has helped us have a successful year," said Susie Oakes, a third-year dental student and president of the Christian Dental Society. "He is an outstanding and concerned teacher, which definitely qualifies him for Teacher of the Year."

Garrigues named College of Health Professions' teacher of the year

Creative, hard working and innovative are phrases routinely used by faculty and students to describe the teaching style of the College of Health Professions' teacher of the year, Robert Garrigues, Ph.D.

"The quality of his presentations and lectures show that he works countless hours to prepare them in such a professional manner. He is able to convey the information and ideas of the class in an exciting and stimulating way, and he truly challenges each student to learn and grow throughout the class," student Alysha Workman said of Garrigues.

As the instructor of courses for the college's undergraduate health science program on leadership skills and styles and the U.S. health-care system, Garrigues brings nearly 30 years of health administration experience to the classroom. He previously served in financial leadership positions in the Health Science Center, including associate vice president for finance and operations, before becoming associate dean of the College of Health Professions in 1997.

Garrigues is recognized as a teacher who demonstrates concern and commitment for his students, making himself available for advising on coursework and career planning.

"He takes it upon himself to get to know each of his students on a personal level," said student Nicole Trzeciak. "It is very gratifying to have a teacher show such interest and concern for our efforts and successes, both in and out of the classroom."

As Garrigues nears retirement, he identifies teaching as one of the most rewarding experiences of his career.

"There is an extraordinary responsibility in teaching, which is a higher calling than just the dissemination of subject matter. It is an imperative that each student has the opportunity to see a vision of the future and learn how he or she can create the building blocks to move beyond possibilities to probabilities. It is my conviction that this is the quintessential responsibility of teaching," Garrigues said.

Garrigues received his doctorate in higher education administration from Florida State University in 1970.

UF College of Medicine's Cheong named Clinical Science Teacher of the Year

Teaching is its own reward, says Josepha A. Cheong, M.D., who has been selected by University of Florida College of Medicine students as Clinical Science Teacher of the Year for 2001-2002, the third time she has received the award.

"Educating medical students is an incredible honor and privilege," said Cheong, a clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry. "It's an opportunity to bring in a new generation of physicians, and I probably learn more from them than they do from me."

One of the few faculty members with classes in all four years of the College of Medicine curriculum, Cheong teaches in both the pre-clinical and clinical curricula. Human behavior, psychopathology, medical ethics and neuropsychopharmacology are among her typical courses.

She is clerkship director for the third-year medical student rotation in psychiatry, and instructs practicing physicians from various disciplines at state, regional and national meetings in primary care, internal medicine and neurology specialties.

"I try to make education part of all day-to-day activities my students experience, not just the formal classroom training," she said. "Handling responsibilities in caring for patients helps students truly understand what it means to be a physician."

Cheong advises about 35 senior medical students per year on residency selection and application, and just received the college's Chandler A. Stetson Teacher-Advisor Award for the second time. Last year, she was honored with the Hippocratic Award, given by senior medical students to the teacher they would most like to emulate in their professional lives.

Gator pride may be one reason for Cheong's outstanding performance she earned her undergraduate and medical degrees at UF, and completed her residency and fellowship here before joining the faculty in 1995.

"One of the best things about UF is the quality of the students we have," she said. "I am really proud to be a part of their development. Having served on the medical school admissions committee in previous years, it's wonderful to see students develop from pre-med undergraduates to physicians. Watching them mature as individuals is a great part of being a teacher."

Cheong is medical director of Shands at UF's Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Unit and associate chair for education in psychiatry. She is affiliated with the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of UF, the UF Memory Disorder Clinic and the UF Institute on Aging.

UF College of Medicine students honor Clapp as Basic Science Teacher of the Year

Outstanding communication skills are the hallmark of William L. Clapp III, M.D., a clinical associate professor of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine, who was selected by University of Florida College of Medicine students as Basic Science Teacher of the Year.

Though his primary appointment is as a staff pathologist for the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville, Clapp serves UF medical students by directing the renal pathology section of the systemic pathology course, and teaching cancer biology and molecular genetics of cancer.

One of Clapp's greatest strengths as a teacher is his ability to explain complex subjects in simple terms, said Dani Zander, M.D., head of anatomic pathology at the VA Medical Center.

"We're lucky to have him teaching renal pathology because it is a very challenging subject, requiring the integration of physiology, anatomy and clinical medicine," said Zander, who has worked alongside Clapp since his arrival at UF in 1993.

"He's a very patient person, and that's worked to his benefit in developing effective ways to explain things," she said.

While Clapp's lectures and laboratories are part of the second-year medical school curriculum, he hears from third- and fourth-year students who are eager to tell him how they have applied his teachings with actual kidney patients, said James Crawford, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine department.

"He has accomplished what I consider the most precious thing for a teacher, which is to make it easy for students not just to learn difficult material but to retain it for the future," Crawford said.

Clapp has earned an international reputation as a scholar and communicator. He wrote a widely praised chapter on renal pathology for "Histology for Pathologists" and recently revised it with VA Medical Center Chief of Pathology Byron Croker, M.D., Ph.D., as co-author. He collaborated with current interim Dean of the College of Medicine C. Craig Tisher, M.D., to write a chapter on kidney development for the textbook "Renal Pathology," which was recently revised.

"It is no accident that Dr. Clapp set new standards for renal pathology texts with those chapters," Crawford said. "He is amazingly dedicated to teaching, to service and to the profession of medicine."

College of Pharmacy Teacher of the Year

Paul Doering, M.S.P., a distinguished service professor of pharmacy, has been selected the University of Florida College of Pharmacy Teacher of the Year for 2001 - 2002 by faculty and students for his dedication to excellence and creative teaching approaches to pharmacotherapy. This is the fifth time Doering has received the honor, an accomplishment unmatched in the 79 -year history of the college.

"I was excited and heartened about being selected," Doering said. "It infused me with a new dose of enthusiasm, and it reassured me that, after all these years, I could still relate to my students in a meaningful way."

Doering graduated from the college in 1972 at the top of his class. He received his Master of Pharmacy in 1975 and joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1976. He teaches a senior-level course in pharmacotherapy and an elective course in drug abuse, and coordinates a non-prescription products course for undergraduate pharmacy students. He also is co-director of the Drug Information and Pharmacy Resource Center located in the UF Health Science Center.

Doering considers motivating students to work hard his biggest challenge.

"I truly believe that students want to function at the highest level possible, but they might do so kicking and screaming," Doering said. "Part of that challenge is teaching the students how to learn. If you teach them how to be intellectually engaged, the content portion will take care of itself."

His expectations of students are tempered with a teaching style that is a relaxed, humorous and personal approach that is readily acceptable and respected by pharmacy students,� said Michael McKenzie, associate dean for professional affairs.

"Paul has demonstrated adaptability in his teaching over the years. He has embraced the principles of active learning, and integrated computer and video technology in the classroom," McKenzie said.

Dr. Rick Alleman is veterinary college Teacher of the Year

Arthur "Rick" Alleman, D.V.M., Ph.D., a clinical pathologist and assistant professor of physiological sciences, has been named 2002 Teacher of the Year for the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine for the second time in just four years.

A board-certified clinical pathologist, Alleman completed a residency in clinical pathology at the veterinary college in 1992 and subsequently received his Ph.D. from UF in 1995 in molecular biology of infectious diseases. He received his D.V.M. from Louisiana State University in 1980 and was in private practice as a veterinarian for several years prior to returning to the academic environment.

Alleman joined the UF veterinary faculty as an assistant professor in 1996. He has been honored by UF veterinary students several times in his career. He was chosen as Support Services Resident of the Year in 1992 and Support Services Clinician of the Year in 1997. All four classes vote for their Teacher of the Year at the end of the academic year, and Alleman was the class of 98 's Teacher of the Year in 1997.

"I teach on the assumption that patience and a sense of humor can have a positive impact in compelling our veterinary students to go the extra mile," Alleman said. "It is very rewarding to know that many students want to do well and learn the material that I present."

He added that veterinary students are so stressed and overwhelmed with long hours in the classroom and their examination schedules that it is difficult to keep their interest.

"I try to present material in three different fashions to interrupt the monotony of lectures, and involve the students in interactive sessions of case discussions and laboratories that reinforce the lecture material and show a clinical application to what is being presented. I try to do this in a way they can relate to, without being intimidated," Alleman said.