One-fourth of the UAB faculty selected to receive the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, are connected to the School of Health Professions. The award honors those who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching and is delivered to one honoree from each UAB school, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Honors College and the Graduate School.
The 2021 honorees with SHP connections are:
Carmel McNicholas-Bevensee
Joint Health Sciences
Carmel McNicholas-Bevensee, Ph.D., associate professor of cell, developmental and integrative biology and co-director of the Biomedical and Health Sciences master’s program in the School of Health Professions, researches the biology of human sweat gland cells and inflammation and tissue remodeling in airway cells.
Outside the classroom, McNicholas-Bevensee organized Physiology Understanding (PhUn) Week, the outreach program established by the American Society of Physiology to introduce the discipline into grade schools. She also has led and developed summer camps and high school outreach programs and mentored both graduate and medical students.
“She truly cares about her students and will work extremely hard to make sure that every student does the best they possibly can, often with quite challenging material,” a nominator wrote. “Carmel is always willing to help anyway who asks.”
Laura Vogtle
School of Health Professions
Laura Vogtle, Ph.D., professor of occupational therapy, has published more than 50 manuscripts and six book chapters and has been awarded funding for her work studying adolescents with Downs syndrome, traumatic brain injury and general rehabilitation needs.
Her Project TransTeam grant, awarded by the Department of Education, has supported students from occupational therapy, physical therapy and special education to participate in a course centered on transdisciplinary care of children.
“Vogtle has an open mind and a willingness to adapt her teaching strategies to fit the needs of the class,” a nominator wrote. “I have been inspired by her ability to balance all of her responsibilities while keeping her students first at all times.”
James Willig
School of Medicine
James Willig, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean of clinical education and member of the Graduate Programs in Healthcare Quality and Safety advisory board, is a national expert in gamification in medical education; he is interested in clinical informatics and its use to enhance clinical care, research and education and use patient-reported outcomes to empower clinicians to provide better care.
Willig, who also is associate dean for Clinical Education in the School of Medicine, has won Argus awards for gastrointestinal and pulmonary modules and is the cofounder of the Clinical Outcomes Research Experience rotation at the 1917 clinic.
“James has a quick wit and great sense of humor that make him instantly likeable by so many of his colleagues and trainees, which makes him a natural communicator and effective mentor to bring out the best in others,” a nominator wrote.
