Six Professors Honored at Retreat

Sep 29, 2008

The annual University of Kansas Medical Center faculty retreat took place on Friday, September 22, and Executive Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean Barbara Atkinson, MD, used the occasion to honor some of the school's most outstanding professors.

Six Medical Center professors were named recipients of four prestigious awards at the retreat. The winners were:

• Michael Moncure, MD, FACS – 2008 Ruth Bohan Teaching Professorship
• John G. Wood, PhD – 2008 Ruth Bohan Teaching Professorship
• Glendon G. Cox, MD – Inaugural Glendon G. Cox Leadership Award
• Debra K. Sullivan, PhD, RD – Honorary Mentoring Award
• Daniel Stechschulte, MD – Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award
• Paul Cheney, MD – Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to present six such outstanding teachers and physicians with honors they more than deserve,” Dr. Atkinson said. “One of the best parts of my job is recognizing those who make our school and community great, and I am proud to be a part of this honor.”

From left to right, Dr. Paul Cheney, Dr. Glen Cox, Dr. John Wood, Dr. Michael Moncure, Dr. Debra Sullivan, Dr. Daniel Stechschulte.

The Ruth Bohan Teaching Professorships honor those professors who have demonstrated excellence, innovation, and quality in teaching. The mentoring awards are designed to recognize those senior faculty members who display a commitment to helping and encouraging the development of junior faculty members, and who provide energy, support, and resources to those they mentor. The newest honor, the Glendon G. Cox Leadership Award, recognizes a faculty member who has shown exemplary leadership in transforming or revitalizing an existing program, or creating an innovative new program, within the School of Medicine.

The winners of the awards spoke in grateful terms of their recognitions.

“It's a great honor to be recognized by the School of Medicine. It has been my pleasure to work with the mentees who nominated me, and I am so flattered that they felt I was worthy of this award,” Dr. Sullivan said. “KUMC is truly a collaborative environment where individuals in all three schools work well together.”

Dr. Wood shared the sentiment.

“I am deeply honored to have received the teaching professorship,” he said. “It is very humbling, given the outstanding faculty at KUMC who have received this award previously.”

“When I started out as a faculty member here 30 years ago, I never imagined where the road would take me or how rewarding it would ultimately become,” added Dr. Cheney. “Like many things in life, it is hard to grasp the impact of something until it happens. This award will have a lasting impact on me. It is nice to know you are appreciated.”