Nominations sought for 2012 Chancellor’s awards

Nominations are being sought for the 2012 Chancellor’s Awards for distinguished service, teaching and research, and, new this year, clinical excellence. The awards will be presented by Chancellor Michael F. Collins during Convocation ceremonies on Sept. 13.

Faculty members who hold the rank of associate professor or professor in any of the three schools are eligible for nomination. Initial nominations consisting of the nominee’s curriculum vitae and a one-page nomination narrative are due to the committees by March 30; they should be sent to Sofia Mueller at sofia.mueller@umassmed.edu. The selection committees will choose finalists for in-depth review, and nominators will be contacted for further information by May 1. Final nomination packets will be due June 15. The selection committees will make recommendations to the chancellor, who will choose the medal recipients.

To ensure that each candidate is evaluated on the basis of similar documentation, materials in excess of that which is requested will not be considered. Questions about the nomination process should be directed to Lisa Beittel at 508-421-5913 or lisa.beittel@umassmed.edu.

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching
This medal is based on the candidate’s longstanding teaching contributions during the period of his or her association with the University of Massachusetts Worcester (UMW). Candidates for this medal must have demonstrated the ability to teach effectively and evaluate diverse students in a range of courses and on a variety of levels, to adapt different modes of teaching to different learning situations, and to explore novel teaching methods. In addition to being excellent course instructors, candidates should have demonstrated excellence in related activities, such as advising and mentoring students, developing and assessing curricula, assessing student learning outcomes, and guiding junior faculty to develop their teaching skills. Nominations should provide evidence that the candidate’s teaching has fostered students’ personal, intellectual and professional development. The scope of this award covers the School of Medicine, Graduate School of Nursing, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Graduate Medical Education programs.

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Scholarship
This medal is based on the scholarly work that the candidate has produced during the period of his or her association with UMW. The candidate’s work must exhibit excellence as evidenced by its import and impact nationally and internationally. The assessment of peers, both internal and external to the campus, will carry particular weight in the medal process, as will extramural grant funding and publications in scholarly journals with high impact. In addition to being an excellent scholar, candidates should have demonstrated an ability to engage others in their work; e.g., graduate students.

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service
This medal is based on the candidate’s service contributions during the period of his or her association with UMW. Candidates for this medal should have provided service that is consistent with the mission of the academic health sciences center. The service activities should have made demonstrable, substantial and long-lasting contributions to the campus community (academic or clinical) or the community at large or to the candidate’s discipline or profession. This can include both exemplary clinical service and public service activities.

Chancellor’s Medal for Clinical Excellence
The medal for clinical excellence, which is new this year, is awarded for excellence in clinical care during the candidate’s period of association with UMW. Candidates for this medal should have had a substantial clinical practice—medical and/or nursing—over the course of their careers at UMW and serve as role models for peers, residents and students in their provision of quality clinical care and in their interactions with all members of the health care team.

Quality clinical care, as defined by the Institute of Medicine, is care that is “safe, effective, efficient, equitable, patient-centered and timely.” Similarly, candidates for this award should be leaders in communication and professional skills and be known for their humanism and their effective navigation of the health care system on behalf of their patients, their patients’ families and fellow health care team members. Candidates should take a scholarly approach to clinical care, and through their activities, candidates should have made demonstrable, substantial and long-lasting contributions to improvements in clinical care in the candidate’s discipline. This may include advancing clinical knowledge or techniques, and/or developing or impacting care systems for improved quality outcomes.