Springer inducted into Shine Academy

Andrew Springer, DrPH, MPH, with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health has been inducted as a member of the 2024 class of The University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine, MD, Academy of Health Science Education.

This award is presented to faculty to recognize their excellence in teaching excellence and commitment to enhancing health science education.

This honor is bestowed yearly on select faculty members from UT System’s six health institutions. Springer was formally inducted with a ceremony Feb. 22-23 in Austin.

Andrew Springer, DrPH, MPH

A 2022 recipient of The University of Texas System Board of Regents Outstanding Teacher Award, Andrew Springer, DrPH, joined UTHealth Houston in 2006 as a cancer prevention and control postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. He became an assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, and was promoted to associate professor in 2018.

Springer has been nominated for multiple teaching awards throughout his career, including the School of Public Health’s annual awards for Excellence in Teaching, Excellence in Service, and Excellence in Academic Advising — an award voted on by students in the school’s campuses across the state.

Springer’s accomplishments at the School of Public Health include the evolution of the curriculum for the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences. He has also actively created practicum and internships for students utilizing his extensive network of community-based organizations in Texas and Latin America.

“Dr. Springer’s student-centered and innovative active learning approaches, along with his research, practice experience, and leadership in the area of community-based public health in the U.S. and Latin America, make him a valuable asset for our graduate education and the student professional development mission at the UTHealth School of Public Health,” said Deanna Hoelscher, PhD, RDN, regional dean at UTHealth School of Public Health in Austin.

Springer has become an active mentor to UTHealth Houston graduate and undergraduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

“Dr. Springer’s teaching approach is always positive, engaging, and inclusive,” said Maria E. Fernandez, PhD, vice president of population health and implementation science, the Lorne Bain Chair in Public Health and Medicine, and co-director of UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science. “This makes our class content more compelling and impactful while helping students develop program planning skills. He has vast knowledge and experience in community engagement and participatory approaches. Not only does he teach passionately about the topic, but he also incorporates the concepts in his teaching, ensuring that students engage in their learning and plan how they will learn.”