Faculty Senate | UC Davis School of Medicine

The School of Medicine is pleased to announce the Faith Fitzgerald Early-Stage Educator Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to teaching by early-career faculty. This award honors innovative approaches to education and impactful mentorship within our community.

Nominations for AY26-27 are open. 

The deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST.

The Committee on Honors and Awards welcome nominations from faculty, staff, and students.

Key evaluation criteria include the following:
1. Quality of Teaching/Mentorship: Evidence of high knowledge of subject and ability to communicate effectively to students/trainees in engaging and effective instructional practices.
2. Curriculum Development: Contributions to improving or developing educational programs or courses.
3. Modeling the Way. Demonstrates qualities of strong leadership and/or resilience; inspiring and visionary ability to motivate peers and students.
4. Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Nominee’s efforts to create inclusive and supportive learning environments, promoting success of underserved students, recruiting and retaining diverse faculty, and/or development of curriculum that promotes DEI.
5. Service to Community: Activities of nominee including outreach efforts and efforts to benefit the community at large and/or promote education.

To be eligible for this award, candidates must not have achieved full rank of Professor or equivalent in their series: All Assistant/Associate Professors, Lecturers or equivalent in any series are eligible to apply (including past applicants).

Candidates may come from either clinical or basic science departments, and include administrative faculty within the School of Medicine. In addition, all candidates—regardless of rank—must have been employed at UC Davis for a minimum of three years prior to the award nomination. This ensures that candidates have had sufficient time to make a meaningful contribution to the university community.

Nomination letters of no more than two pages are being solicited from the faculty, alumni, staff, and students. The nomination letter should include subheadings of the 5 criteria for this award, each subheading describing the nominee’s qualifications that set the candidate apart as a distinguished educator based on the outlined criteria for this award. A current Curriculum Vitae of the candidate should also be included.

The deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST.

After the initial review of nomination applications, a full nomination packet will be requested for the finalists, including teaching evaluations and other pertinent documents. The full nomination packet of finalists will be requested by early February 2027, for consideration by the Honors and Awards committee.

Nomination contact:
Lao Thao
Office of Medical Education School of Medicine
University of California, Davis 4610 X Street, Suite 2101D
Sacramento, CA 95817
Tel. 916-734-3530
e-mail: lythao@health.ucdavis.edu

The recipient of the Faith Fitzgerald Early-Stage Educator Award will receive a plaque and a monetary honorarium, with an announcement and presentation at the School of Medicine’s Graduation and Awards Banquet held annually in May.

Previous Award Recipients

The School of Medicine proudly introduces the Emerging Leader Award to recognize the exceptional contributions of early-stage faculty who elevate the university’s profile.

Nominations for AY26-27 are open.

Deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST.

This award honors early-career faculty who demonstrate outstanding progress in academic achievements, community engagement, and/or public service. Contributions may include innovative research activities, and/or impactful outreach initiatives.

Eligible faculty are Associate and Assistant Professors, or equivalent, in any series. Candidates must have been employed at UC Davis for a minimum of three years prior to the award nomination.

The four criteria for evaluating the nominees are as follows:
1. Contributions to the community. How the nominee’s work contributed directly or tangentially to the community at large and/or his/her field of study.
2. Modeling the way. How the nominee and his/her work demonstrated the qualities of strong leadership, resilience, inspirational and visionary.
3. Innovation. How the work demonstrates a creative approach to solve a need.
4. Advancing Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. How the work impacts or includes the underserved population.

Nominations should include a brief (1 to 2 pages) letter summarizing the candidate's achievements, career trajectory, and impact. The letter should include the 4 evaluation subheadings and describe the nominee's qualifications for each and how they set the nominee apart from others. A current curriculum vitae of the nominee is also required.

The deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST.

The Honors and Awards Committee will consider all nominations. Those nominations appearing to be of sufficient merit will receive a request for more documentation to be submitted by early February 2027. Because the nature of the nominees’ contributions will vary, the exact nature of the documentation may be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Nominations contact:
Lao Thao
Office of Medical Education School of Medicine
University of California, Davis 4610 X Street, Suite 2101D
Sacramento, CA 95817
Tel. 916-734-3530
e-mail: lythao@health.ucdavis.edu

The recipient will be selected by the Committee on Honors and Awards with consultation from the Dean of the School of Medicine and will be announced at the School of Medicine’s Graduation and Awards Banquet held annually in May. This recipient will receive a plaque and monetary honorarium.

Previous Award Recipients

The School of Medicine annually recognizes the exceptional contributions to teaching and research with established awards. However, truly exceptional contributions are made to the School of Medicine’s mission by a variety of faculty, academic staff, and administrators that do not fall clearly into the categories of either teaching or research and, as such, go unheralded. To provide recognition of those who make such contributions, the School of Medicine has created the Hibbard Williams Award for Extraordinary Achievement.

Nominations for AY26-27 are open.

The deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST.

The award is intended to recognize any of a broad range of contributions such as extraordinary public service and/or academic achievements that bring distinction to the university, raising its profile at a national or international level, etc. These contributions may be either singular in nature, or they may represent a long-term achievement in a particular arena. Above all, the contribution(s) must be truly exceptional. As such, the award may not be given every year, or may, on occasion, be awarded to more than one individual in a single year. Recipients of this award should receive it only once.

The 4 criteria for evaluating the nominees are as follows:
1. Contributions to the community. How the work contributes directly or tangentially to the community at large and/or the field of study.
2. Modeling the way. How the nominee demonstrates strong leadership and resilience, and whether the work is inspirational and visionary
3. Innovation. Does the nominee’s work demonstrate a creative approach to solving a need.
4. Advancing Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. How the creative work impacted the underserved communities.

The Committee on Honors and Awards requests a brief (1 to 2 page) nomination letter summarizing the candidate's accomplishments and contributions. The nomination letter should include the 4 evaluation criteria subheadings as they will be used to assess the candidate. Under each, describe the nominee’s qualifications that set them apart from others. An up to date curriculum vitae of the nominee is also required.

The deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST.

The Honors and Awards Committee will consider all nominations. The finalists will receive a request for more documentation which will be requested by early February 2027. Because the nature of the nominees’ contributions will vary, the exact nature of the additional documentation will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Nominations contact:

Lao Thao
Office of Medical Education School of Medicine
University of California, Davis 4610 X Street, Suite 2101D
Sacramento, CA 95817
Tel. 916-734-3530
e-mail: lythao@health.ucdavis.edu

The recipient will be selected by the Committee on Honors and Awards with consultation from the Dean of the School of Medicine and announced at the School of Medicine’s Graduation and Awards Banquet held annually. The recipient will receive a plaque and monetary honorarium.

Previous Award Recipients

The C. John Tupper Prize for Excellence in Teaching is the highest teaching award given by the School of Medicine. Created by the founding dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, this award is intended to recognize significant contributors to the educational mission of the school. 

Nominations for AY26-27 are open.

The deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027 at 5:00pm PST.

Successful candidates will be characterized by a trajectory of sustained, substantial, and meritorious participation in medical education at UC Davis School of Medicine and are expected to have attained full rank or equivalent. These candidates may also have previous significant recognition (i.e., teaching awards) of their contributions to medical education at UC Davis School of Medicine. Since one of the important factors in the selection is that the awardee is widely recognized as an outstanding educator, the Committee on Honors and Awards welcomes nominations from multiple constituencies, such as faculty, alumni, students, and staff.

The 5 criteria used for evaluating the nominees are as follows:
• Quality of teaching and mentorship (include examples demonstrating an ability to stimulate thought and critical thinking) and sustained trajectory of excellence in teaching
• Contributions to curriculum development (including the development of curriculum for specific areas or for improving courses)
• Modeling the Way (demonstrated resilience and/or leadership and/or examples that describe the candidate as inspiring and/or visionary)
• Advancing Diversity Equity and Inclusion [including but not limited to: 1) inclusive teaching and mentorship practices, 2) promotion of the success of underserved student populations, 3) recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, and 4) development of curriculum that facilitates diversity and inclusion]
• Service to the community (i.e. activities such as outreach efforts that benefit the community and/or promote education)

Candidates may come from either clinical or basic science, as well as administrative faculty within the School of Medicine.

Nomination letters (1 to 2 pages) are being solicited from the faculty, alumni, staff, and students. The nomination letter should include subheadings of the 5 criteria used to access the candidate, describing under each criterium the nominee’s qualifications that set the nominee apart as a distinguished educator. A recent Curriculum Vitae of the nominee is also required.

The deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST.

After the initial review of nominations, additional information will be requested for the finalists, including teaching evaluations and other pertinent documents. The full nomination packet of finalists will be requested by early February 2027, for consideration by the committee.

Nominations contact:
Lao Thao
Office of Medical Education School of Medicine
University of California, Davis 4610 X Street, Suite 2101D
Sacramento, CA 95817
Tel. 916-734-3530
e-mail: lythao@health.ucdavis.edu

The recipient of the C. John Tupper Prize for Excellence in Teaching will receive a certificate and a monetary honorarium, with announcement and presentation at the School of Medicine’s Graduation and Awards Dinner held annually in May.

Previous Award Recipients

Since 1975, the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals have supported annual awards for excellence in teaching at the UC Davis School of Medicine and affiliated hospitals. Faculty recipients Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Award receive a plaque and a generous monetary award of $1,200 each. 

There are three awards presented annually at the Student and Faculty Awards Banquet (in May):
1. An award to a full-time faculty member in a basic science department.
2. An award to a full-time faculty member in a clinical science department.
3. An award to a member of the volunteer clinical professor (VCP) in a clinical science department.

Deadline for Nominations: January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST

Complete the online nomination form here.

Medical students, residents, and full-time faculty members are eligible to make nominations in one or more of the award categories

Characteristics to be considered in making nominations should include enthusiasm, sincere interest in and willingness to help students and residents, ability to motivate learning, quality of lectures and teaching aids, contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion, quality of clinical (bedside) teaching, and (where appropriate) the demonstrated ability to serve as a model clinician. 

The nominations are limited to faculty members with a record of sustained excellence (>3 years) in all phases of teaching medical students and/or residents. The top three nominees in each category will be placed on a ballot and resubmitted to the medical students for their final voting. A faculty member who has received this award in the past four years is not eligible. The recipients for the last four years are listed below.

The generosity of the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals permits us to recognize the teaching contributions of our faculty, please carefully consider responding to this request for nominees. Nominators may nominate one candidate in each of the three categories, but nominating an individual in every category is not required. If a nominee is listed in an incorrect category by mistake, their name will be moved to the correct category. 

The deadline for the nomination is January 8, 2027, at 5:00pm PST.

Thank you for your assistance in this important task.

Nomination Contact: Committee on Honors and Awards (Attn. Lao Thao), email: lythao@health.ucdavis.edu                                                                                         

Previous Award Recipients

The Joan Oettinger Memorial Award honors Joan Oettinger, a UC Davis graduate student who died of lung cancer in July 1970. Her husband, Martin, was a senior lecturer in economics at UC Davis before his death in 1986. This award recognizes outstanding research in lung or cancer disease and is presented annually during the UC Davis School of Medicine Spring General Faculty Meeting (4th Wednesday of May). The award includes a stipend of $1,200 and a certificate. Candidates will be evaluated by the Committee for Research Affairs.

Nominations for AY25-26 are closed. 

Eligible Candidates and Nominators

1. Candidates: All School of Medicine faculty members, fellows, and students whom are deserving of this award. Accomplishments will be evaluated relative to career stage. 
2. Nominators: any member of the UC Davis School of Medicine community. Nominators may nominate more than one candidate.

Committee on Research Affairs Considerations

1. The Committee may award more than one person in a single year.
2. The Committee may refrain from making an award in any given year if no nominee’s research is considered deserving of the award.
3. The award may recognize either a single achievement or an accumulated career of excellence. However, no person may receive the award more than once.
4. The outstanding research must have occurred during the nominee’s tenure at the UC Davis School of Medicine.
5. Individuals not selected for the award may be nominated again in succeeding years.

Nomination Process
Nominations must be submitted as a single PDF packet and include the following:

1. Eligibility statement not exceeding 1 page listing the candidate's qualification for this award. Statements should address A) research achievements in cancer or lung disease, either a career of excellence or a single achievement. B) Significance and impact of the work (e.g., advancement of the field, impact on clinical care). C) Innovation of the work. D) If the nominee is a student or fellow, the extent of the nominee’s participation should be clearly stated. 
2. Statement presentation: 11-point Arial font must be used, the page must be single-spaced, and the margins cannot be smaller than 0.5”.
3. Proposals not conforming to formatting and 1-page limit will not be considered.
4. If the nominee is a student or fellow, an accompanying manuscript or abstract may be submitted for evaluation. Additional materials will not be considered.
5. If the nominee is a faculty member, please include the nominee's curriculum vitae.
6. No additional materials will be considered.

Nomination Contact: Committee on Research Awards (Attn: Faith Mudambi), email: fec@health.ucdavis.edu

Previous Award Recipients

The School of Medicine Research Award is given to one Early Career (Assistant level) and one Established Investigator (Associate level or above) Senate or Federation faculty member in the School of Medicine, recognizing outstanding contributions to science and medicine through research. Each awardee will receive a stipend of $1000 and $15,000 for research support. 

Candidates will be evaluated by the Committee for Research Affairs. The awards are presented at the Spring General Faculty Meeting (4th Wednesday of May) annually.

Nominations for AY25-26 are closed. 

Eligible Candidates and Nominators

1. Candidates: All UC Davis School of Medicine Academic Senate and Academic Federation faculty.
2. Nominators: any member of the UC Davis School of Medicine (i.e., faculty, fellows, students, staff). Nominators may nominate more than one candidate.

Committee on Research Affairs Considerations

1. Research accomplishments will be evaluated relative to the faculty’s career stage.
2. The Committee may refrain from making an award in any given year if no nominee’s research is considered deserving of the award.
3. The award can recognize either a single achievement or an accumulated career of excellence. However, no person may receive the award more than once.
4. The outstanding research must have occurred during the nominee’s tenure at the UC Davis School of Medicine.
5. Individuals not selected for the award may be nominated again in succeeding years.

Nomination Process
Nominations must be submitted as a single PDF packet and include the following:

1. Eligibility statement not to exceed 1 page listing the candidate's qualifications for this award. Statements should address: A) Research achievements, either a career of excellence or a single achievement. B) Significance and impact of the work (e.g., advancement of the field, impact on clinical care). C) Innovation of the work. D) National or international recognition of the work or nominee.
2. Statement presentation: 11-point Arial font must be used, the page must be single-spaced, and margins cannot be smaller than 0.5” around.
3. Proposals not conforming to formatting and the 1-page limit will not be considered.
4. Nominee's curriculum vitae.
5. Optional: Up to three additional supporting statements (maximum of 1 page each) from distinguished researchers in the nominee’s area (UC Davis faculty members or outside researchers). 
6. No additional documents or statements will be considered.

Nomination Contact: Committee on Research Awards (Attn: Faith Mudambi), email: fec@health.ucdavis.edu

Previous Award Recipients

The I-EXPLORE Achievement Awards began with the completion of the first 2 years of the I-EXPLORE (Integrated EXplorative Patient and Learner ORiented Education) in AY22-23. At that time each curricular phase (e.g., pre-clerkship, clerkship, and post-clerkship) had delivered one or two years of the I-EXPLORE approach.

All faculty who participate in I-EXPLORE are eligible for the Achievement Awards. Annually, the Achievement Award nomination form is sent to all I-EXPLORE funded faculty (e.g., Course Directors, Discipline Leaders, etc.). These Committee on Educational Policy (CEP) appointed educators and leadership team members submit nominees who are then selected by the CEP Chair. There are four faculty award categories and two staff awards.

I-EXPLORE Achievement Award Recipients

Integration & Collaboration: Regularly seeks to mesh their expertise with that of other faculty collaborators in creating and delivering well integrated sessions. Actively solicits and welcomes multiple stakeholders in combined efforts.

• AY25-26: Ho Phan, M.D., F.A.C.S.
• AY24-25: Maya Evans, M.D.
• AY23-24: MK Orsulak, M.D.
• AY22-23: Colleen Sweeney, M.D.

Exploration & Innovation: Places significant effort in the development and/or utilization of new teaching pedagogies and approaches to student learning.

• AY25-26: Cara Sandholdt, Ph.D.
• AY24-25: Eric Signoff, M.D.
• AY23-24: Jennifer Karlin, M.D., Ph.D.
• AY22-23: Rachael Lucatorto, M.D.

Patient-Oriented Education: Prioritizes understanding human health and disease through the whole patient perspective; incorporates principles of health systems science and/or health equity in curricular content.

• AY25-26: Shubha Ananthakrishnan, M.D.
• AY24-25: Lucy Shi, M.D.
• AY23-24: Anthony Bhe, M.D.
• AY22-23: Timothy Muldoon, M.D.

Learner-Oriented Education: Creates efficient sessions that address student needs and preferences; regularly solicits and incorporates student feedback; minimizes extraneous cognitive load for students.

• AY25-26: Archana Reddy, M.D.
• AY24-25: Katerina Christiansen, M.D.
• AY23-24: Heike Wulff, Ph.D.
• AY22-23: Hana Anderson, Ph.D.

Staff Awards

Collaboration and Innovation: Regularly seeks to mesh their expertise and experience with staff and faculty stakeholders across units and departments for collaboration in curriculum delivery and student support, placing significant effort in the development and utilization of new or revised approaches to curriculum needs. 

• AY25-26: Heidi van Beek, M.A.
• AY24-25: Holly Ly
• AY23-24: Dan Comins, M.A. Ed.

Learner-Orientated Education: For exemplary skills in improving the student experience.

• AY25-26: Alfonz Suguitan
• AY24-25: Bronwyn Seward Limon