Presidential Award winner: Eileen M. Lafer, Ph.D.

Remarks by Dr. Henrich at the March 6 awards dinner:
“Dr. Lafer teaches a significant block of lectures dealing with amino acid metabolism, membrane transport and others. She has consistently embraced and pioneered the use of new learning modalities such as team-based learning, interactive lecture, soft chalk and case-based activities in an enthusiastic, results-oriented fashion. Dr. Lafer has performed in an exemplary manner as discipline coordinator for biochemistry in the clinically integrated medical curriculum, or CIRCLE, and she plays a significant role in our graduate curriculum. She strives to not only transmit to students the medical knowledge we have today, but also to teach students to become critical thinkers and life-long learners. Dr. Lafer has a strong commitment to education, has delivered high-quality teaching materials, and has been a valuable leader with the passion to collaborate to integrate the clinical and basic sciences. Simply put, Dr. Lafer embodies the strength of our curriculum.”
From the nominating letter by Martin L. Adamo, Ph.D., professor, biochemistry & structural biology, Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine
“One of the leaders in the instructional activities of our medical and graduate schools, Dr. Lafer provides vision, example and drive to the process through both her intellectual and organizational abilities. Moreover, she shows great human empathy and compassion. Eileen combines the necessary rigor and high standards of performance expectation with a true concern for students’ problems and a desire for students to learn and achieve. The esteem in which she is held is clear from student evaluations of her teaching activities in both the medical and graduate curricula. Both the quantitative measures of her teaching effectiveness and the heartfelt comments of the students abundantly reflect Eileen’s outstanding pedagogic skills and activities and her commitment to student learning and success.

President’s Awards 2017 from UT Health San Antonio on Vimeo.

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