Four honorees receive President's Excellence Awards
The President’s Excellence Awards, which honor faculty and staff whose work advances NEOMED’s mission, were recently announced by President Dr. John Langell at the State of the University on Sept. 28.
Recipients, who were nominated by their colleagues and students, are listed below with excerpts from their nominations.
President’s Excellence in Teaching Award – Rootstown-based Faculty
Altaf Darvesh, M.Pharm., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, College of Medicine
Here’s what his nominators had to say:
“Dr. Darvesh invests immense care into planning every lecture, meticulously searching for external illustrations to drive home key concepts. For him, a lesson is never complete without tools – drawn from current affairs, history or breaking news – that help students grasp and apply complex ideas. He genuinely celebrates learners at all levels of understanding, makes himself universally available and takes the time to know every student name. He is deeply, authentically, invested in their success.”
“Dr. Darvesh has a rare gift: he can take the dense, unforgiving language of pharmaceutical science mechanisms, pathways and pharmacokinetics, and hand it back to students as something simple, memorable and even fun.”
President’s Excellence in Teaching Award – Clinical Faculty
Debra Gargiulo, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine
Here’s what her nominators had to say:
“Dr. Gargiulo is an outstanding educator, an extraordinary student advocate, a trusted colleague and a curriculum leader whose work has strengthened the clinical skills education of our students in substantial and lasting ways.”
“The one thing that really stands out about Dr. Gargiulo is how much she clearly loves family medicine. That is not something you can fake in front of a room of medical students, and we notice when it is real. She talks about her patients the way you talk about people you have known for years, because she has.”
President’s Staff Excellence in Continuous Improvement
Two staff members were recognized for excellence in continuous improvement:
Elizabeth “Liz” Backus, M.Ed.
Senior Operational Excellence Analyst, Strategy and Transformation
Instructor of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine
Here’s what her nominators had to say:
“Liz exemplifies the highest standards of operational excellence through her ability to embrace complex institutional challenges, develop innovative and sustainable solutions, and bring colleagues together around a shared commitment to continuous improvement.”
“Liz consistently demonstrates the University’s values of integrity, collaboration and excellence. She is dependable, thoughtful and committed to helping others succeed.”
Cassandra Corrine Butler
Director, Simulation Education and Technology Services, Wasson Center
Here’s what her nominator had to say:
“Ms. Butler took over leadership of the Wasson Center team during a period of great change and, displaying exceptional leadership skills and a servant leadership approach, preserved staff morale and commitment to the Wasson mission. Her outstanding efforts enabled the Wasson Center to expand and grow operations in support of University growth and in a way that did not require additional resources or personnel. She sets the standard to which all others aspire for teamwork, unparalleled leadership and results-driven performance.”