First class of “master educators” named at medical school

GREENVILLE, N.C.   (Feb. 1, 2002)   —   Recognizing their dedication to students and educational leadership, 10 faculty members at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University have been named in the first group of master educators at the school. 

In December, Dr. Peter Kragel, interim dean of the medical school, notified the winners of their selection by the Executive Committee and Executive Curriculum Committee. This new designation aims to highlight excellent teachers at the medical school, Kragel said.

Medical students Scott Blore and Johnny Zimmerman go over X-rays with Dr. Janice Daugherty, a medical school “master educator.” Photo by Cliff Hollis.

“We have many outstanding educators who contribute to the success of the medical school, so we wanted to recognize them,” he said. “Through the Executive Committee, we approved the Master Educator Program.”

The awards recognize educational leadership and administration, outstanding teaching contribution or mentoring, education innovation or curriculum development, educational evaluation and research, and faculty development. There is no set number of recipients each year, but the group cannot exceed 10 percent of the faculty. And once recognized, “they are master educators for life,” Kragel said.

Recipients will be honored during convocation and will receive a white lab coat with “Master Educator” embroidered with their names.

Dr. Janice Daugherty of the Department of Family Medicine said she is very honored to receive the master education designation. “It’s nice to see that the hard work that we all do has been recognized,” she said.

What makes a good teacher in her eyes? “You have to like people. You have to like wanting to help them learn and understand things they didn’t understand before. And you have to be flexible,” she said. “(The medical students) all come in with enthusiasm and the desire to learn and to do good. To help them have the tools to fulfill their hopes is a great thing.”

The Master Educator Award recipients for 2001-2002 are as follows: 

• Dr. M.J. Barchman of the Department of Internal Medicine section of nephrology, who joined the medical school faculty in 1995. She has earned several teaching awards, including ones from the family medicine and internal medicine residency programs in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and the Attending Physician Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2001.
• Dr. Donald Barnes of the Department of Pharmacology, who has been with the medical school since 1971 and has developed many educational handouts and learning objectives. He also created four Macintosh computer-based simulations of traditional mammalian teaching laboratories; more than 30 medical and pharmacy schools have purchased two of the programs. Barnes has been nominated and received teaching awards several times, including the Excellence in Teaching Award, Basic Sciences in 1996-99.
• Dr. Robert Carroll of the Department of Physiology, who joined the medical school in 1984. He was honored by the medical school class of 1989 as the best lecturer (M-1), received the Seymour Bakerman Award as the best basic science instructor from the class of 1993 and a teaching recognition certificate from the class of 1995. He is the chairman of the Faculty Development Task Force and coordinator of faculty development.
• Dr. Janice Daugherty of the Department of Family Medicine, who has been teaching medical students at ECU since 1986. She has served on numerous committees in her department and is now director of the division of predoctoral education and course director of the M1, M2, M3 and M4 preceptorships and clerkships in family medicine.
• Dr. Kathy Kolasa of the Department of Family Medicine, who joined the faculty in 1982. A registered dietitian, Kolasa received the Dannon Institute Award for Excellence in Medical/Dental Nutrition Education from the American Society of Clinical Nutrition in 2000 and the Outstanding Educator Award from the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine in 1998.