Teaching Excellence Awards

The Prizes and Their Purpose

AUPHA’s Teaching Excellence Awards seek to recognize faculty from AUPHA member programs who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments at the undergraduate, masters, or doctoral level. Established in 2021, the Awards annually honor faculty who frequently engage in the AUPHA Network and demonstrate teaching excellence within various disciplines that inspire and advance other faculty within AUPHA and beyond. The Teaching Excellence Awards focus on the following areas:

  • Teaching Excellence Award in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Social Justice
  • Teaching Excellence Award for Healthcare Management and Leadership
  • Teaching Excellence Award for Health Policy
  • Teaching Excellence Award for Practice Management and Ambulatory Care


ELIGIBILITY

  1. Nominee must have a formal faculty appointment in an AUPHA Full or Associate Member Program and must be responsible as the instructor-of-record for at least one course in the area for which they are being nominated.
  2. Nominee must have five or more years of teaching experience in health administration and policy. No more than one year of teaching as a graduate student (identified as the instructor of record) may be used to count towards the five needed.
  3. The nominee must be teaching in the academic year in which they are nominated.
  4. Past awardees may not be nominated again in the area for which they have already been recognized.
  5. Nominees must be active on the AUPHA Network. This may be demonstrated through membership in the relevant academic Faculty Forum or discussion group listed below; nominations for faculty who are not a part of the relevant forum or group should include an explanation of the nominee’s engagement on the AUPHA Network in the past year.
    1. Cultural Perspectives and Inclusive Excellence
    2. Health Policy
    3. Management and Leadership
    4. Medical Group Practice/Ambulatory Care Discussion Group

        Application/Nomination

        The deadline for nominations for 2024 Teaching Excellence Award Recipients is Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 11:59 PM Pacific

        Teaching Excellence Award Application/Nomination Form

        NOMINATION PROCESS

        During the open call for nominations (typically in January each year), faculty can self-nominate or be nominated by any other full-time faculty member from their program or the AUPHA membership.

        The nominations package consists of the following:

        1. Current Curriculum Vitae
        2. A philosophy statement (written by the nominee) that articulates the nominee’s teaching philosophy and teaching methods to achieve their educational goals.
        3. Applicant (or nominator) statement, outlining how the nominee has fulfilled the award criteria, which includes:
          1. A reference to the teaching practices that best represent their contribution to excellence in teaching.
          2. Evidence of contributions to the practice and art of teaching to the academy.
        4. A letter of recommendation from a colleague with knowledge of the nominee's teaching excellence. This letter can come from a peer, the Program Director, Chair, Associate Academic/Education Dean, or Dean of the program where the nominee teaches full-time.
        5. A letter of recommendation from a past student who graduated within the past five years. Students who write recommendation letters should refer to the guidelines below for assistance.
        6. If the nominee is not a member of the relevant AUPHA Forum/group: An explanation (including examples) of the nominee’s activity on the AUPHA Network in the past year.

        Student nomination letter guidelines:

        Students writing letters of recommendation for Teaching Excellence Award Nominees should address their letter to the Teaching Excellence Awards Committee. Letters should address the following:

        • For how long have you known the nominee? What classes did you take with them and what was the duration of each one?
        • What made this nominee an excellent teacher? You might consider the following:
          • How did you know what was expected of you in this person's course?
          • What types of activities did you complete in the classroom?
          • How accessible was this nominee when you had questions?
          • How clear were their instructions?
          • How did you feel supported as a student?
          • How did their teaching compare to other professors you had? What set it apart?
        • Providing specific examples related to their teaching can help to strengthen your letter.

        Prize Winners

        The 2023 Teaching Excellence Award recipients are as follows:

        Teaching Excellence Award for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Social Justice

        Sponsored by the "Better Together" coalition - the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE); the American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE); the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE); the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE); and AUPHA

        - Stephan Davis, DNP, MHSA, FACHE, FAAN, Virginia Commonwealth University
        - Darren Liu, DrPH, FGSA, West Virginia University

        Teaching Excellence Award for Health Policy

        Sponsored by the American Hospital Association (AHA)

        - Courtney Haun, PhD, MPH, Samford University

        Teaching Excellence Award for Healthcare Management and Leadership
        Sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)

        - Michael Matthews, PhD, MHA, Winthrop University
        - Michael Rozier, SJ, PhD, Saint Louis University

        Teaching Excellence Award for Ambulatory Care and Practice Management
        Sponsored by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)

        - Cristian Lieneck, PhD, FACMPE, FACHE, FAHM, CPHIMS, Texas State University