2024 Award Recipients

Wolfram Zückert, Ph.D., MS
Professor, Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology

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Dr. Zückert has been an invaluable member of the faculty at the University of Kansas Medical Center since 2001, making significant contributions to medical education and research over more than two decades. His teaching excellence is exemplified through his innovative approaches in the classroom and his dedicated mentorship of future physicians and scientists.

As the Director of the Infectious Disease Module, Dr. Zückert has transformed the educational landscape by integrating active learning strategies, including case-based collaborative learning and interactive review sessions, into the curriculum. His commitment to student engagement has earned him multiple Student Voice Awards and the prestigious Ruth Bohan Teaching Professorship Award, reflecting his students' appreciation for his organized, creative, and high-yield teaching style.

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Zückert has played a pivotal role in curriculum development, serving on various educational committees, and helping to blueprint the ACE curriculum. His leadership in the Phase I Curriculum Oversight Committee and as Chair of the Education Council demonstrates his influence in shaping medical education at KUMC. Dr. Zückert's contributions to the curriculum have ensured that foundational sciences are seamlessly integrated into clinical practice, thereby preparing students for successful careers in medicine.

In addition to his educational leadership, Dr. Zückert is an accomplished researcher in molecular microbiology, particularly recognized for his work on Lyme disease and its pathogenic mechanisms. His research has garnered significant extramural funding, highlighting his ability to balance teaching and research successfully. Dr. Zückert's mentorship extends beyond formal teaching; he has guided numerous graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in his active research lab, fostering the next generation of scientists.

Dr. Zückert’s dedication to education and mentorship continues to inspire both students and faculty, solidifying his reputation as a distinguished educator and scientist.

Award Criteria and Eligibility

The Chancellor's Club Teaching Professorship is an accolade awarded to esteemed individuals who have exhibited consistent excellence in teaching. This recognition honors those who have demonstrated outstanding teaching competence, innovation in teaching methodologies, and dedication to education over a prolonged period. The application should highlight the nominee’s significant and sustained impact on student learning. There are many outstanding educators at the University of Kansas Medical Center, successful nominees must demonstrate contributions that extend beyond the classroom and traditional teaching modalities. Educational Leadership will be strongly considered by the committee.

Each nomination must include several key criteria:

• Faculty status and academic rank: The nominee must be a non-volunteer faculty member with a major role in teaching our learners. Strong preference is for nominees to hold the rank of Professor, although Associate Professors may be considered for this recognition.
• Level of teaching: The nominee must be involved in the teaching of undergraduate medical, nursing or health professions students, graduate or other professional students and have demonstrated outstanding skills and outcomes as an educator. Nominee must be recognized for extraordinary teaching as measured by quality, quantity, innovation, and scholarship. Successful nominees must demonstrate contributions that extend beyond the classroom and traditional teaching modalities. Educational Leadership will be strongly considered by the committee.
• Length of service: The Chancellor's Club Teaching Professorship is designed to recognize a distinguished career in teaching, with a minimum requirement of ten years of teaching service to the University of Kansas Medical Center. Faculty considered for this award are typically tenured, although those in the Clinical Scholar Track with the requisite years of service may also be eligible.

**Department chairs and those with administrative appointments usually have a reduced teaching load and are eligible for nomination only if it is documented convincingly that they have a full-time role in educational activities. In these cases, teaching evaluations may be omitted in place of clear evidence of impact on educational programs.

**Those who already hold another named or university professorship are not eligible for nomination.

Award Stipend

Recipients hold these professorships, which carry an annual stipend of $10,000, for a five-year period, renewable annualy after peer review to assure continued extraordinary activity as teachers and full-time faculty members at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Nomination Process and Timeline

Each nomination must include all of the following:

• Nomination letter: Letter should summarize the faculty member’s worthiness for receiving this award, formal teaching responsibilities and voluntary additional teaching, if any.
• Departmental chair recommendation letter: Evaluations and/or recommendations from the nominee's departmental chair (or dean from School of Nursing).
• Letters or statements from colleagues: Letters or statements addressing the quality of the nominee's teaching and other educational contributions. Statements from faculty outside of the nominee's school or department are encouraged but not required. No more than four of these letters will be accepted.
• Letters or statements from students and others: Letters from current and former students, alumni and associates outside the university. No more than four of these letters will be accepted.
• Teaching evaluations: Teaching evaluations, limited to last five years, both by colleagues and students, should be submitted in a quantity and format appropriate to the field. A summary of evaluations should be included showing mean scores among peer evaluations, with peer names redacted.
• Scholarship: Nomination should include evidence of the scholarly activity of the nominee, particularly as it relates to excellence in teaching. This can be explained in nomination, supporting letters and documented in the Curriculum Vitae.
• Curriculum Vitae: The nomination packet must include a current, detailed copy of the nominee's Curriculum Vitae which contains full information on the nominee's teaching and research career.