Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine and RMSA celebrate the 2011 Teaching Awards

26 January 2011

William Arthur Ward once said, "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."

This year's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine Students' Association Teaching Awards acknowledge those superior and great instructors who've made an extraordinary impact on the rehabilitation professionals of tomorrow.

"Innovative teaching is one of our faculty's cornerstones. We boast some of the world's renowned professors in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology," says Martin Ferguson-Pell, PhD, dean, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta.

This year's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine Teaching Award winners are Shaniff Esmail (Faculty Teaching Award), Christine Daum (Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Award) and Melissa Skoczylas (Sessional Teaching Award). Fellow faculty and students submitted nominations, recognizing innovative and excellent teaching that stands out.

The RMSA Excellence in Teaching Awards go to Jaynie Yang (Physical Therapy), Rashid Kashani (Occupational Therapy) and Melanie Campbell (Speech-Language Pathology). These awards are student-nominated, recognizing instructors who've inspired and made a difference in students' lives.

"Each year we give these RMSA Teaching Awards and I am so encouraged by the nominations we receive. We have some of the best profs in the country, possibly the world, and it's great that the students want to appreciate them in this way," says Rhonda Ketch, RMSA President.

The Teaching Awards will be presented at the annual RMSA Winter Gala on Jan. 29 at 6:00 p.m. Contact ldoering@ualberta.ca for tickets. RMSA Scholarship winners Dana Carmichael (PT), Camille Dube (OT) and Evan Keith (SLP) will also receive their awards that night.

About the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
As the only free standing faculty of rehabilitation in Canada, the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine balances its activities among learning, discovery and citizenship (including clinical practice). A research leader in musculoskeletal health, spinal cord injuries and common spinal disorders (back pain), the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine aims to improve the quality of life of citizens in our community. The three departments, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT) and Speech Pathology and Audiology (SPA) offer professional entry programs. The Faculty offers thesis-based MSc and PhD programs in Rehabilitation Science, attracting students from a variety of disciplines including OT, PT, SLP, psychology, physical education, medicine and engineering.