Celebrating Excellence in Education – CT Plus

A vibrant wall installation honoring 42 of UT Southwestern’s most impactful educators was unveiled during the annual Celebrating Excellence in Education ceremony on March 5. The display recognizes UTSW’s enduring commitment to educating future generations of clinicians and scientists.

“Education is at the heart of UT Southwestern,” said W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean of UT Southwestern Medical School. He recounted that Southwestern Medical Foundation trustees launched the school in 1943 because they knew the intrinsic value of medical education. “This installation honors the legacy built over the decades, and the contributions educators make to our institution every single day.”

The new wall display is located at the west end of Eugene McDermott Plaza and Lecture Halls (D1.600) on South Campus. It recognizes current and past recipients of the UT System’s Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards (ROTA), UT Southwestern Academy of Teachers (SWAT) Distinguished Educator Award, and the SWAT Outstanding Educator Award. It also includes Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., Academy of Health Science Education inductees. These individuals are selected for their exemplary dedication to teaching and their commitment to advancing the academic mission.

The wall installation will continue to grow and evolve as additional ROTA, Shine Academy, and SWAT awardees are selected.

Among the honoree photos are quotes from esteemed educators on their reflections about teaching, such as this one from Dennis Burns, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Pathology: “Teaching has always been a source of deep satisfaction and inspiration. It is a privilege to be able to share knowledge and, perhaps more importantly, to inspire others to actively engage in the learning process. The benefits of teaching are reciprocal in that teaching, more than any other activity, inspires me to remain a lifelong learner.”

Currently, more than 3,800 faculty members teach over 4,400 students, residents, trainees, and fellows across UT Southwestern’s four degree-granting schools – the Medical School, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Health Professions, and the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health – as well as through its graduate medical education (GME) programs.

UTSW faculty continuously create meaningful learning experiences while upholding the institution’s high standards. Even as new courses, technologies, and teaching strategies reshape higher education, their expertise and passion remain constant.

That dedication took center stage in March at SWAT’s Celebrating Excellence in Education event – a reimagined program that expanded the Academy’s annual awards ceremony and coincided with the unveiling of the new installation.

During the ceremony, SWAT recognized recipients of its Distinguished Educator and Outstanding Educator Awards and commended this year’s Small Grants Program awardees. In partnership with the Office of Medical Education (OME), the Academy congratulated those selected for the 2025 SWAT/OME Fellowship Program, which supports a year of faculty development in medical education. Faculty members newly inducted into the Shine Academy also were recognized.

“As UT Southwestern’s impact continues to grow globally, it is your dedication to teaching that sustains and elevates our academic mission,” said Sherry Huang, M.D., Vice Provost and Senior Associate Dean for Education. “On behalf of the University, thank you for your scholarship, your leadership, and your unwavering commitment to our learners.”

Reflecting on the role of mentorship in academic medicine, Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., UTSW President, quoted physician and educator Francis Peabody, M.D., who said the secret of caring for the nation is caring for the patient. The same principle holds true in education, he said.

“The real secret is caring for and about our learners,” said Dr. Podolsky, noting that the ceremony’s honorees exemplify that commitment.

While accepting their awards, many faculty members reflected that their career accomplishments were shaped as much by being good learners as by being good teachers.

“I’m very grateful to everyone who invested in me,” said Larissa Velez, M.D., Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and Associate Dean for GME. “I’m thankful to all the mentors that came before me, the learners who constantly challenge me to be better, my colleagues, and the teams who make education a priority. They allow me to learn every day.”

The ceremony and new installation serve as reminders that UT Southwestern’s strength often begins with those who guide the next generation of physicians, scientists, population health researchers, and health professionals.