Ruth Bohan Teaching Professorship

2011 Ruth Bohan Teaching Professorship recipients L to R: Amy O'Brien-Ladner, MD, Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, Department of Internal Medicine, Director, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Wolfram R. Zückert, PhD, Associate Professor, Microbiology, Molecular Genetics & Immunology, and Ivan Damjanov, MD, PhD, Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

The Ruth Bohan Teaching Professorship is the most prestigious teaching award in the School of Medicine. The award recognizes excellence in teaching and seeks to continue the tradition of outstanding education in the medical school.

History

Dr. Peter T. Bohan was Professor of Medicine from 1914 until 1945 and renowned for his clinical and teaching achievements. His dedication to teaching was legendary and his contributions to the academic life of the medical school left a lasting impression on the institution. Even before his retirement, Dr. Bohan established trusts to provide continued support for the educational mission of the medical school. These trusts sustain the Peter T. Bohan Chair in Medicine, the Peter T. Bohan Medical Scholarships, and the Bohan Visiting Professorships.

Dr. Bohan's wife, Ruth Harris Bohan, was a distinguished artist whose works can be found in many galleries, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. She bequeathed many of her paintings and much of her private collection to the medical school and university. A dedicated supporter of her husband's educational and philanthropic endeavors, Mrs. Bohan supported the medical school's educational mission through the Ruth Bohan Trust.

Criteria For the Bohan Teaching Award

The award committee will review documentation of:

1. Exceptional quality of intellectual content
   • Does the nominee challenge students to learn and stimulate lifelong learning and self-directed learning?
2. Innovation and quality of teaching practices
   • Does the instructor plan for optimal use of the students' time both in and outside of class?
   • Has the instructor created any teaching methods that enhance the impact of student learning?
   • Are students actively engaged in learning the material or skills?
   • What opportunities, in or out of class, are there for students to practice the skills embedded in the course goals?
3. Depth and breadth of student understanding
   • Is there any evidence that student learning improves their long-term problem-solving skills?
   • Is there evidence that student performance results in improved performance in later courses?
4. Reflective consideration and development
   • Does the instructor regularly examine her/his part of the curriculum, assess successes and difficulties, and make incremental adjustments that would promote better student learning in future iterations of the course/clerkship?
   • What new teaching skills and methods has the instructor added to make teaching more effective?
   • Is there a positive trajectory of teaching skills and outcomes for the nominee?
5. Exceptional dedication to students and to the profession
   • Does the instructor commit time and energy to further the goals of education for the institution and the field?
   • How does the nominee embody and express in her/his teaching practice and demeanor the scholarly, critical, and intellectual values professed?
   • What actions by the nominee indicate dedication to the success of students and to the teaching of the field of study?

List of Previous Awardees

(Photos of all recipients are located on the 3rd floor of the Murphy Administration Building.)

Nomination Process

Download the nomination packet here (Word), or contact Laura Jenneman (8-5765).

Completed nominations must include:

• submission form
• formal nomination letter by an eligible member of the School of Medicine faculty
• letters of support from at least three eligible members of the School of Medicine faculty
• letter of support from the chairperson of the nominees' department of primary appointment
• current curriculum vitae of the nominee
• evidence of evaluations of teaching by students and peers.

It is recommended that the packet also include letters of support from others who can attest to the nominee's excellence in teaching. Examples include:

• colleagues who are not members of the School of Medicine faculty
• graduates and former students or residents
• current students

To the extent possible, all letters should address the five areas considered by the Advisory Committee and provide objective as well as subjective evidence of the nominee's achievements in education.

For further information contact Laura Jennemann at 913.588.5765 or by email to ljenneman@kumc.edu.