Exceptional Faculty Recognized with PVM Awards for Excellence in Teaching DVM Students

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Several Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty members were honored as recipients of a newly established teaching award on Tuesday, November 2, during a special presentation at the beginning of the Current Issues in Veterinary Medicine class in Lynn 1136.  Dr. Kathy Salisbury, associate dean for academic affairs, and Dean Willie Reed both were on-hand to present the PVM Awards for Excellence in Teaching DVM Students. The brief ceremony also was livestreamed to another classroom (G167) so additional students could watch, given the seating limits in the lecture hall. The Current Issues in Veterinary Medicine course is required for first-, second-, and third-year DVM students. 

This new award was established in December 2020 to recognize faculty for exceptional teaching during each year of the DVM program. The award is designed to foster the development of junior faculty and sustain productive senior faculty.

Individuals with a substantial teaching commitment in each class year are eligible to receive the award. The recipients are selected by a ballot sent to each DVM class with students evaluating teaching excellence using the definition:

“An outstanding teacher is one who demonstrates superior ability in communicating the chosen material to students, stimulates their desire to master the material, and guides and inspires students.”

The voting ballot was distributed in April, so the award recipients were recognized for their teaching in the 2020-2021 academic year. In announcing the recipients, Dr. Salisbury explained that the award consists of a plaque and a cash prize of $500, which elicited enthusiastic praise from the students in attendance.

Congratulations to the following recipients:

• The first-year award from the DVM Class of 2024 was presented to Dr. Marxa L. Figueiredo, associate professor of basic medical sciences.
• The second-year award from the DVM Class of 2023 was presented to Dr. Sanjeev Narayanan, professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology and head of the Department of Comparative Pathobiology.
• The third-year award from the DVM Class of 2022 was presented to Dr. Chris Fulkerson, clinical associate professor of veterinary medical oncology.
• There was a tie for the fourth-year award from the DVM Class of 2021. As a result, both Dr. Aimee Brooks, clinical associate professor of small animal emergency and critical care, and Dr. Emily Curry, clinical assistant professor of mobile surgery/shelter medicine, were recognized.

“Thank you to this year’s recipients for their commitment to student learning and to all instructors for their investment in their students,” said Dr. Salisbury as she concluded the award presentation. Though it lasted only a few minutes during class Tuesday morning, the recognition ceremony provided an important means of continuing to honor PVM’s exceptional faculty as we work together to take the next, giant leap.

Writer(s): Madeline Brod, PVM Communications Intern | pvmnews@purdue.edu