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Educational Recognition Awards

Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 4–6 p.m.  

Location: Albert Sherman Center Auditorium

The annual Educational Recognition Awards ceremony is held as a means of reaffirming education as the founding and primary mission of the campus. The event is characterized by recognition of educational excellence in all three schools; a celebration of the collaboration among the three schools; and pride in the dedication, passion and creativity of faculty. Recipients are nominated and chosen by their faculty colleagues. Students also participate in the nominating process within the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing. The awards are presented by the deans of each school at an event held in the second half of the academic year.

The Last Lecture provides an educator the opportunity to share a message they would want to give students if they had only one lecture left to give. Medal recipients are nominated by the faculty and selected by the chancellor. Criteria for this honor include having fostered students’ personal, intellectual and professional development. 

The 2025 Last Lecture will be presented by Mary Callery O’Brien, MD, recipient of the 2024 Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Teaching.

                                       Mary Callery O’Brien, MD


2024 Recipients

Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing 

Dean’s Award 
Nancy Morris, PhD, ANP  

Distinguished Faculty Awards
Jennifer Flynn, BSN, RN
Miguel Olmedo, RN, FNP-C, MSN
Mechelle Plasse, PhD, APRN

Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 

Dean’s Award 
Read Pukkila-Worley, MD  

Faculty Awards
Megan Orzalli, PhD
Rebecca Beiter, PhD
Pablo Gimenez Gomez, PhD
Michael Lee, PhD
Brian Kelch, PhD

T.H. Chan School of Medicine 

Lamar Soutter Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Medical Education 
Christopher Sassetti, PhD  

Educational Achievement (Star) Awards
Yasmin Carter, PhD
Mara Epstein, ScD, ScM
Patricia Seymour, MD

Resident/Fellow Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education
Daniel Drimer-Batca, DO
Jennifer Kodela, DO

Student Star Award
Christian Keenan
Alex Richard

Administrative Staff Award
Jean Welker
Debra Leger