2021 Teaching Awards recipients announced

Dr. Baojiang Chen, Dr. Anna Wilkinson and Travis Teague, MPH, CPH, are the recipients of the 2021 Teaching Awards. Recipients are nominated and voted on by the student body.

John P. McGovern Award for Outstanding Teaching Winner, Dr. Baojiang Chen
Dr. Chen serves as an associate professor in the department of Biostatistics and Data Science at the Austin campus and as a faculty member in the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living. “It is my great honor to be nominated by our outstanding students at UTHealth School of Public Health. Their passion and thirsty to learn biostatistics inspire me to continue to improve the quality of teaching biostatistics classes. I am also grateful for the support from the Austin campus and the department of Biostatistics and Data Science.”

The John P. McGovern Award for Outstanding Teaching recognizes excellence in teaching based on knowledge of the subject; interest and enthusiasm for teaching; understanding of students; responsiveness to student questions and encouragement of independent thinking; and accessibility to students.

James Emerson Award for Outstanding Teaching Assistant Winner, Travis Teague, MPH, CPH
Travis Teague is a DrPH candidate in department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences and serves as Graduate Research Assistant with the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research. “I feel truly honored to be chosen for this award. Having the opportunity to share my knowledge and experiences with students as they travel along their educational journey is a blessing. I am grateful to every student I have had the privilege of working with for allowing me to learn with them and for fueling my passion for mentoring and facilitating learning.”

The James Emerson Award for Outstanding Teaching Assistant is given by the UTHealth School of Public Health Student Association and recognizes a teaching assistant who demonstrates knowledge of the subject and competency in the area of expertise; interest/enthusiasm for teaching; interest in an understanding of the students; responsiveness to student questions and encouragement of independent thinking; and accessibility to students.

Award for Excellence in Academic Advising Winner, Dr. Anna Wilkinson
Dr. Anna Wilkinson is an Associate Professor in the department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences at the Austin Campus and works in the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living. “I am thrilled and grateful to the students who nominated me. It is pleasure to work with the students as they earn their degrees and launch their public health careers.”

The Excellence in Academic Advising award is given by UTHealth School of Public Health and the recipient is selected by students. This award recognizes an academic advisor who assists students with their educational goals and professional development; is readily available to advisees with a helpful attitude; provides career advice and assists with job placement; guides on practicum experience or research for students’ thesis/dissertation; demonstrates extensive knowledge of the academic program; and refers students to relevant resources and internal and external opportunities relative to the School.