Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award recipients
Dr. Dennis Burns
Teaching philosophy: “An effective teacher prepares diligently, treats learners with respect, shares knowledge with enthusiasm, and remembers his or her own struggles and limitations. Teaching has always been a source of deep satisfaction and inspiration. It is a privilege to be able to share knowledge and, perhaps more importantly, to inspire others to actively engage in the learning process. The benefits of teaching are reciprocal in that teaching, more than any other activity, inspires me to remain a life-long learner.”
Research: Dr. Burns’ focus has been investigations into the pathogenesis of peripheral nerve sheath tumors in neurofibromatosis models and the pathogenesis of infiltrating gliomas.
Other honors: Holds the Jane B. and Edwin P. Jenevein, M.D., Chair in Pathology. Dr. Burns has received multiple teaching awards from first- and second-year medical students and from pathology residents. He recently was named a Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation Professor, and has served multiple times as an Academic Marshal during medical school graduations. In 2016, he had the honor of speaking at the Medical School hooding ceremony.
Did you know? Dr. Burns is an avid fly fisherman and a bibliophile – particularly old works on fly fishing and medicine – as well as a history buff with a special interest in U.S. military history, the history of medicine, and the role that medical matters have played in shaping history.
Dr. Robert Haley
Teaching philosophy: “In daily attending rounds, I work with my medical students and residents on the art of taking a complete, insightful history that raises hypotheses to be tested by careful physical examination and directed laboratory investigation. In research, I teach my students and young faculty to develop powerful study designs that avoid bias and to master statistical computing so their clinical insights are fully engaged in the analysis.
Research: Dr. Haley’s career in research began in the late 1960s when he was a medical student at UT Southwestern working in the laboratory of Dr. James Luby, Professor of Internal Medicine. The focus back then was St. Louis encephalitis, and over the course of his career he has studied the epidemiology and prevention of hospital-acquired infections; the link between hepatitis C and commercial tattooing; and West Nile encephalitis, specifically the outbreak in the Park Cities and North Dallas in 2012. Dr. Haley is perhaps most well-known is his 20-year study of Gulf War Syndrome, the mysterious illness in veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Endowed titles: He holds the U.S. Armed Forces Veterans Distinguished Chair for Medical Research, Honoring Dr. Robert Haley, M.D., and America’s Gulf War Veterans.
Did you know? Dr. Haley studied violin for seven years, beginning in the first grade. After work most days he supervises the violin practices of his grandchildren.
Dr. Judith Head
Teaching philosophy: “I’m always impressed with how smart our students are and their enthusiasm for this path they’ve chosen. Being aware of how much information they have to learn, I’ve sought to present well-organized lectures and labs in a relaxed atmosphere. In teaching histology (microanatomy), I want to convey my own enthusiasm for the material and its usefulness for integrating information from multiple disciplines and understanding how our bodies function.”
Research: Dr. Head is retired from research, but previously studied immune cells in the uterus and various aspects of uterine and placental structure.
Other honors: She has received several awards from first-year medicals students, including the Outstanding Teacher Award and the Small Group Teaching Award.
Did you know? Dr. Head enjoys bird-watching and gardening, and she likes to read about archaeology, human origins, and World War II. The latter interest is inspired by her father’s experiences in the Battle of the Bulge. And she’s a great fan of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers.
Susan Kapp
Teaching philosophy: “I believe my role as a teacher is to foster a positive learning environment to bring out the best in each of my students. The beginning of every semester presents a new opportunity to share my excitement about prosthetics and orthotics and to pass on my knowledge through innovative teaching. It gives me great pleasure to follow the careers of graduates as they move into positions of leadership and are recognized for their clinical skills. Their successes continue to inspire me.”
Research: Ms. Kapp’s research focuses on prosthetic socket pressures resulting from varied types of prosthetic feet, related to comfort and performance.
Other honors: Ms. Kapp is a UT Southwestern Distinguished Teaching Professor, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists, and has been named Educator of the Year by that organization.
Did you know? Ms. Kapp enjoys photography and travel. A native of Germany, she also loves to visit her wine-growing family, especially in October at the harvest season. Being home then allows her to take part in a cultural and family celebration.
Dr. Scott Smith
Teaching philosophy: “The key to effective and meaningful teaching is the formation of a partnership between educator and student. This partnership is most successful when based on trust – trust from the student that the teacher is knowledgeable, prepared, and sincerely vested in his or her success; and trust from the teacher that the student is enthusiastic about learning. When established early, this trust can lead to an extremely fulfilling and productive educational partnership.”
Research: Dr. Smith’s research focuses on determining the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of autonomic dysfunction in cardiovascular diseases.
Other honors: He was elected and served as President of the School of Health Professions’ Faculty Assembly Executive Council. He also is a past member of the UT System Faculty Advisory Council where he served on the Executive Sub-Committee on Health Affairs. He has received the student selected Outstanding Educator Award from the School of Health Professions and holds the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor.
Did you know? Dr. Smith is an avid sports enthusiast and long-time volunteer youth coach. Over the past 15 years, he has coached more than 50 baseball and softball teams, and more than 30 basketball teams for children aged 5-14 years. He recently served as President of the Board of Directors for the local baseball association in Southlake.
Dr. Steven Vernino
Teaching philosophy: “The best teachers are ones who are also role models outside the classroom and those who take an interest in what the students do with the knowledge they have received.”
Research: Dr. Vernino’s research focuses on helping develop the field of autoimmune neurology. He is interested in how autoantibodies against targets in the nervous system cause neurological disorders such as epilepsy, encephalitis, or autonomic failure. His lab develops antibody testing methods and studies animal models of autoimmune neurological disorders.
Other honors: Holds the Dr. Bob and Jean Smith Foundation Distinguished Chair in Neuromuscular Disease Research. Dr. Vernino, a member Southwestern Academy of Teachers, has been named Outstanding Teacher three times by second-year medical students. He also is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and of the American Neurological Association.
Did you know? Dr. Vernino is an avid cyclist who earned an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at UT Austin, and created the Clinical Autonomic Function Laboratory and Autonomic Disorders Fellowship at UT Southwestern. He also hosts a picnic for the neurology trainees in his backyard each June.
