The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine honored more than 140 faculty members at the annual Dean’s Faculty Appreciation ceremony on May 11. The Dean’s Awards were created to honor outstanding and dedicated support in medical education, research, patient care, and administration.

Steven L. Berk, M.D., TTUHSC executive vice president, provost and School of Medicine dean, said these faculty exhibit outstanding commitment and service and have been instrumental in advancing the School of Medicine’s mission.

“We are grateful to an outstanding faculty,” Berk said. “Faculty who have molded our students into excellent physicians, cared for our patients, served our community and found new treatments for disease.”

Special awards included:

Unsung Hero Awards
These awards are nominated by the chair of the department. Recipients are considered 'go to' persons that can always be relied on. The recipients are:

Daniel Hardy, Ph.D.  - Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry
Kelly Klein, M.D.  - Department of Family & Community Medicine
Ebtesam Islam, M.D., Ph.D.  - Department of Internal Medicine
Annette Sobel, M.D.  - Department of Medical Education
Kerry Katz, M.D.  - Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Kenn Freedman, M.D., Ph.D.  - Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Matthew Ferguson, M.D.  - Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation
Michal Pankratz, M.D.  - Department of Pediatrics
Guangchen Ji, Ph.D.  - Department of Pharmacology & Neuroscience
Medhat Guirguis, M.D.  - Department of Psychiatry
Catherine Ronaghan, M.D.  - Department of Surgery
Thomas Nelius, M.D., Ph.D.  - Department of Urology

Dean’s Faculty Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award – The two recipients below have made significant contributions to the School of Medicine spanning their entire careers.
Lorenz Lutherer, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Cell Physiology & Molecular Biophysics – 45 years of service
Thomas Tenner, Jr., Ph.D., Department of Medical Education – 39 years of service

Dean’s Teaching Awards
Recipients have several years of sustained excellence in teaching as demonstrated in student and peer evaluations, evidence of strong commitment to the educational process, innovation and/or originality in teaching. The recipients are:

Dean’s Basic Science Teaching Award – MS I
Jannette Dufour, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry

Dean’s Basic Science Teaching Award – MS II
Barry Maurer, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry

Dean’s Clinical Teaching Award
Ronald Cook, D.O., MBA, Department of Family & Community Medicine
Lesley Motheral, M.D., Department of Pediatrics

Dean’s Educational Innovation Award
Jongyeol Kim, M.D., Department of Neurology
This award recognizes a faculty member who has developed and introduced a new program or process that has contributed significantly to helping the Medical School meet its educational mission.

Dean’s Douglas M. Stocco Scholarship/Research Award
Vadivel Ganapathy, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry
This award recognizes a faculty member for their accomplishments in research/scholarship demonstrated by original, high-impact publications, external funding, national/international peer recognition, and research awards.

Dean’s Distinguished Faculty Service Award
Werner de Riese, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Urology
Kimberli Peck, M.D., Department of Family & Community Medicine
This award recognizes a faculty member for their outstanding service to the institution and the community that exceeds performance of normal responsibilities and has greatly contributed to the development and progress of the School of Medicine.

Departmental Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Teaching – Department of Pediatrics
This award is based upon medical student feedback received by the Dean during the past year.

Outstanding Achievement in Research – Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry
This award is based upon grant dollars received by the Department during the past year.

Outstanding Achievement in Patient Satisfaction – Department of Neurology
This award is based upon Press-Ganey ratings received by the department during the past year.