Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award
The Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes and rewards demonstrated teaching ability of a clearly superlative nature.
2024 Award Recipients
Cheen Alkhatib, M.D.
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine
Read more about Dr. Alkhatib >>
Dr. Alkhatib is a distinguished faculty member within the Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine. She is recognized for her exemplary commitment to teaching and mentorship. Since joining KU in 2016 as a Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Dr. Alkhatib has consistently demonstrated a profound dedication to the academic and professional growth of her students and residents. Her innovative teaching philosophy emphasizes creating an environment for supervised exploration, which allows learners to engage deeply with the material in a safe and supportive setting. Her approach has garnered high praise from students, who appreciate her ability to challenge and build their confidence, inspiring many to pursue careers in Anesthesiology.
Dr. Alkhatib employs diverse teaching methods, including case-based learning, simulation exercises, and interactive lectures, ensuring that her curriculum remains current with the latest advancements in the field. Her commitment to continuous improvement is evidenced by her recent grant to enhance teaching cardiac physiology.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Alkhatib’s dedication to mentorship is evident through her active role in guiding numerous medical students and residents. She serves as the Director of the Wescoe Society and the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, where she supports students through the rigors of medical education, instilling a passion for lifelong learning.
As a leader in medical education, Dr. Alkhatib has developed essential educational materials and organized numerous workshops, contributing significantly to the training of future healthcare providers. Her involvement extends to national organizations, where she actively participates in advancing educational initiatives.
David Becker, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine
Dr. Becker has been a dedicated member of the Internal Medicine faculty since 2008. He is a graduate of the KU School of Medicine and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at KU where he quickly established himself as a distinguished clinician, educator, and leader.
Dr. Becker's teaching expertise shines through in his various roles, where he engages with both medical students and residents. He excels in small group settings and has significantly revamped Problem Based Learning sessions to enhance student learning. His leadership as associate clerkship director for the third-year internal medicine rotation has resulted in innovative curriculum development, particularly in clinical skills assessment.
Recognized for his exceptional mentoring, Dr. Becker has received numerous accolades, including the Outstanding Resident Teaching Award and the Kansas University School of Medicine Student Voice Award. His recent receipt of the 2022 Rainbow Award, honoring faculty who exemplify the qualities students wish to emulate, underscores his impact on learners' educational experiences.
In addition to his classroom and bedside instruction, Dr. Becker serves as the medical director of the Neis Clinical Skills Lab, overseeing physical exam teaching across all campuses. His commitment to teaching extends to authoring case-based collaborative learning sessions and employing modern educational methodologies, ensuring a consistent and high-quality curriculum for all students.
Dr. Becker's holistic approach to education, from admissions through graduation, reflects his deep commitment to the student experience. He is not only a mentor and educator but also an advocate for learner feedback, embodying the principles of excellence in medical education.
Kirk Miller, D.O.
Associate Professor, Radiology
Dr. Miller has been a vital member of the Radiology faculty at the University of Kansas Medical Center since 2007, consistently demonstrating excellence in teaching and a profound commitment to medical education.
Renowned for his ability to connect with students, Dr. Miller has received multiple accolades including the Outstanding M1 and M2 Lecturer awards, the Most Inspiring Professor award in 2023, and the prestigious Rainbow Award for Excellence in the Field of Medicine in 2018.
Dr. Miller’s passion for education extends beyond the classroom. He played a key role in revamping the KU School of Medicine curriculum, contributing as a thread creator in the ACE curriculum development, co-chair of the Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Committee, and serving on the ACE Anatomy Task Force. His innovative approach includes developing original content for small group learning sessions, allowing students to engage with complex material in meaningful ways.
He has also significantly influenced the residency experience, earning recognition as one of the best educators within the Department of Radiology. His commitment to mentoring extends to dozens of residents and medical students, fostering their professional growth through personalized guidance and support.
Dr. Miller’s teaching style is characterized by his hands-on approach and dedication to creating a positive learning environment. He frequently receives high praise from students and residents alike, who commend his ability to make learning engaging and enjoyable. His influence reaches across departments, actively teaching radiology to residents from other specialties and participating in interdisciplinary teaching conferences.
In addition to his teaching and mentorship roles, Dr. Miller has created unique opportunities for medical students, including an externship rotation that offers real-world experience in residency practices. His ongoing involvement in the elective radiology clerkship exemplifies his dedication to student success.
Ericka Sanner-Stiehr, Ph.D., RN
Clinical Associate Professor, Nursing
Read more about Dr. Sanner-Stiehr >>
Dr. Sanner-Stiehr has been a dedicated member of the University of Kansas School of Nursing since 2020, joining during a critical time amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With extensive experience as a clinical educator and a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dr. Sanner-Stiehr has quickly established herself as an exemplary faculty member known for her exceptional teaching and commitment to student success.
In her role as a Clinical Assistant Professor, Dr. Sanner-Stiehr teaches across multiple program levels, including BSN, MS, DNP, and PhD. She is the first Coordinator of the Educator Emphasis area in the School of Nursing’s graduate programs, where she has led significant curriculum updates and developed engaging learning experiences. As co-director of the BSN Honors Program, she provides mentorship for students undertaking year-long research projects, fostering their growth as emerging scholars.
She is recognized for her innovative teaching methods and her ability to connect with students. She employs a dynamic teaching style that incorporates technology and interactive discussions, ensuring her courses are engaging and accessible. Her dedication to student-centered learning is evident in her high teaching evaluations and the trust students place in her guidance.
Her contributions extend beyond teaching as she actively participates in curriculum development and evaluation, having redesigned the Health Professions Educator Certificate to better meet the needs of diverse learners. Her commitment to professional development is also reflected in her certification as an Online Instructor, enhancing her ability to deliver high-quality online education.
A respected figure among her peers, Dr. Sanner-Stiehr collaborates with colleagues across programs and contributes to various committees, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based teaching practices. Her scholarly work, focused on student behaviors in classroom and clinical settings, aims to enhance the learning experience for all students.
2023 Award Recipients
Dorothy Hughes, Ph.D., MHSA
Assistant Professor, Population Health, and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
School of Medicine – Salina
Dr. Hughes earned her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2019 and joined the teaching staff as Assistant Professor that same year in the Department of Health Policy and Management. In her career at KU Medical Center she has been a key contributor to MHSA, PhD, and MD programs. She has participated in curriculum review, led the Distinguishing Students Committee, and is a member of the KUSOM Academic and Professionalism Committee and Promotions Committee, to name a few of her commitments to the university.
Dr. Hughes has contributed to her students through outstanding classroom teaching, the development of educational materials, and educational leadership for both medical students and graduate students. She has developed at least four Scholarship, Enrichment, and Remediation (SER) week activities for medical students on topics including health policy and racism in medicine. During the pandemic, she was asked to develop and deliver an online activity for an entire class of 211 students addressing the epidemiology and bioethics of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also been actively engaged in the development and delivery of flipped classroom activities on the risks and basics of health insurance as well as educating medical students on research study protocols, data collection, and data analysis.
Her goal is for students to have a strong understanding of how healthcare systems can and do work (in the US and other countries), including how operational, financial, and policy concepts interlock. In 2022 she received the JHAWK Outstanding Faculty of the Year award awarded by the MHSA student organization.
Dr. Hughes is an active member of the Association of University Programs in Healthcare Administration, the International Association of Medical Science Educators, the Association for Surgical Education, and the American College of Surgeons.
Stephen D. Jernigan, Ph.D., PT, FNAP
Associate Professor Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Science and Athletic Training
School of Health Professions
Read more about Dr. Jernigan>>
Dr. Jernigan earned his B.S.E., M.S., and PhD from the University of Kansas. He has been on faculty since 2007 and is currently the Director of Academics for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program as well as being on the DPT Curriculum Committee and DPT Leadership Committee.
Through collaboration with others, Jernigan has led the integration of interprofessional education into the program's curriculum. He also helps lead interprofessional experiences across the institution as the director of the School of Health Professions IPE Champions workgroup and as co-lead for the assessment and scholarship committee associated with the Center for Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research at KU Medical Center. In early 2018, Jernigan and faculty colleagues established the Leveraging Education And Research iN Physical Therapy (LEARN PT) laboratory. This virtual laboratory was created with the mission of promoting excellence and collaboration to optimize physical therapy education.
Jernigan is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association and has served as an active board member of the National Interprofessional Education Consortium. He served five years as chair of the research committee for the Kansas Physical Therapy Association. In 2022 he was awarded the Fellowship for Higher Educational Leadership from the American Physical Therapy Association. Additionally, he is a two-time award recipient of the Education Innovator Award given by the Physical Therapy Learning Institute.
Albert Buddy Poje, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
School of Medicine
Dr. Poje joined the faculty of KUMC in 2008 as an Instructor after earning his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri Kansas City in Clinical Psychology. He is currently an Associate Professor and Program Director for the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Program and a licensed psychologist in Kansas.
Dr. Poje serves as a supervisor for the department's Residency, Clinical Psychology Internship, and Postdoctoral Fellowship programs, and has been a regular contributor to the School of Medicine's Legacy and ACE (M.D.) curriculum programs since 2012. As the Academic Psychology Director of the KUMC’s psychiatric inpatient facility at Strawberry Hill, Dr. Poje engages in clinical teaching, manages the clinical rotation for predoctoral psychology interns, and directs the Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Advanced Clinical Psychology which he created and developed; in addition, he oversees the psychotherapy training for Psychiatry Residents and Medical Students at Strawberry Hill. He sits as the only Psychologist on the oversight committees of the Psychiatry Residency Program.
Dr. Poje received the Executive Dean's Achievement Award for Mentoring Residents in 2012 as a result of his commitment to teaching scholars and clinicians at KU Medical Center. He was nominated to join the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2017. He is a member of Psi Chi, the KUMC Human Subjects Committee, past president of the Greater Kansas City Psychological Association, and current Chair of the Committee on Human Research for the American Psychological Association.
Jo A. Wick, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Graduate Education, Biostatistics & Data Science
School of Medicine
Before joining KUMC in 2008 Dr. Wick earned her M.S. and PhD from Baylor University. In addition to her teaching and research, Dr. Wick has served as the Director of Graduate Education since 2020. She has developed and overseen the approval of four new graduate degree programs in the KU School of Medicine—the MS and Ph.D. Programs in Biostatistics in 2010 and the MS in Applied Statistics, Analytics, Data Science in 2015, and Health Data Science in 2022—and she developed a Ph.D. program in Clinical and Translational Science in 2023.
Dr. Wick has supervised over 15 graduate students on their research, advised or written qualifying exams for over 200 students, and developed educational materials for over 50 courses. She has also had an impact on the School of Medicine’s ACE curriculum. She was appointed Biostatistics thread head in 2016 for the new ACE curriculum. As thread head, she developed learning objectives, formed learning activities, and developed lectures and assessments on topics including evaluating study validity, meta-analysis, and research integrity. In 2008, she designed the “Introduction to Biostatistics for Clinical and Translational Researchers” lecture series that is offered annually. This series has been used by various programs nationally to train residents, postdocs, medical students, fellows, and faculty.
She is a three-time recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award in the Biostatistics & Data Science department at KUMC. Dr. Wick is a current member of the Kappa Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society, the American Statistical Association, the Kansas-Western Missouri Chapter of the American Statistical Association, Women in Medicine and Science, Mothers in Medicine and Science, and the Caucus for Women in Statistics.
View list of all Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award Recipients (PDF)
Award Criteria and Eligibility
This award acknowledges and honors exceptional non-volunteer faculty members at KU Medical Center for their demonstrated teaching ability of a clearly superlative nature. The recipient significantly contributes to the medical center and its students through excellence and outstanding teaching.
Teaching will be interpreted broadly to encompass educational activities in diverse settings and for a variety of learners across the three schools, as well as the graduate and undergraduate programs at the medical center.
Preference will be given to early to mid-career faculty members. Each award winner receives a one-time monetary award of $1,000.
Nomination Process and Timeline
Each nomination must include:
- Nomination letter summarizing the faculty member's worthiness for receiving this award, formal teaching responsibilities and any voluntary additional teaching, including interdepartmental, multi-school or others, if applicable. Include evidence of impact with documentation or examples that showcase the nominee’s impact on students and the educational community at KU Medical Center.
- Letter of support from the nominee's program director or department chair
- Additional letters in support of the nomination are not required but are recommended (maximum of four).
- Nominee's Curriculum Vitae, indicating reception of other teaching awards, if any
- Past formal evaluations of the nominee's teaching made by students and residents (maximum of four).
- Evaluations by faculty peers (maximum of four).
**Nominations are not open for KU Medical Center faculty who have previously received the award.