Nominations Open for APAP Awards

Master Teacher Award Renamed Master Faculty

By Paul Lombardo, MPS, RPA-C
Chair, APAP Nominations and Award Committee, and
Immediate Past President

The members of the APAP Nominations and Awards Committee are pleased to announce the opening of the Association’s annual awards program. Help the Association to honor those who make significant contributions to APAP and the profession by nominating your colleagues and programs that positively impact the education of physician assistants. All nominations are due in the APAP national office by July 15. Awards will be announced and prizes will be awarded at APAP’s annual Education Forum in Puerto Rico. A listing of winners is also maintained and published in APAP’s official journal, Perspective on Physician Assistant Education.

In reviewing the criteria for the awards, committee members determined that the traditional Master Teacher Award did not appropriately reflect the knowledge and contributions typically embodied by candidates for this distinguished award. To address this, the committee recommended to the board that the award’s name be changed from Master Teacher Award to Master Faculty Award. This was approved by the board, as well as new criteria that more fully reflect the totality of the candidates work.

New Faculty Award for Professional Excellence

This award recognizes a program faculty or staff member who has made noteworthy contributions to PA education in one or more of the following areas:

• Teaching (classroom and/or laboratory instruction, course development, etc.)
• Administration (general administration, committee service, planning, development, and evaluation activities, etc.)
• Scholarship (grant writing, research, publications, presentations, and other scholarly or creative activities)
• Service (liaison with professional organization, clinical professional activities, promotion of the PA profession)

The recipient of this award will receive a $500 check and a commemorative plaque.

Requirements

• Candidates must have been employed at least half-time (0.5 FTE) in a member program for three years or less at the time nominated.
• Candidates must be recommended by the program director or medical director.
• Nominations for this award must be accompanied by a complete CV. A maximum of two supporting letters will be accepted.

APAP Rising Star Faculty Award

This award recognizes a program faculty member who has earned the respect of students and colleagues for his or her devotion to or overall skill in education, as represented by increasing contributions to PA education in one or more of the following areas: teaching, administration, scholarship or other creative activities, and service. Examples include

• Teaching (development of meritorious record of excellence in classroom and/or clinical teaching or creativity related to teaching)
• Outstanding research or creative activities (grant writing, publications, presentations, developing new educational avenues or teaching approaches)
• Administration (administrative accomplishment(s) demonstrating breadth and depth of knowledge of PA education or program’s mission)
• Peer recognition as demonstrated by scholarship and/or professional service (liaison with professional organization(s), clinical professional activities, promotion of the PA profession)

The recipient of this award will receive a $500 check and a commemorative plaque.

Requirements

• Candidates must have been employed at least half-time (0.5 FTE) in a member program for at least three, but no more than seven, years at the time nominated.
• Candidates must be recommended by the program director, medical director, or department chair.
• Nominator must address how eligibility criteria were met.
• Nominations for this award must be accompanied by a complete CV.
• A maximum of two supporting letters will be accepted.

Master Faculty Award

Through this award the Association honors faculty who inspire, stimulate, and challenge their students and colleagues as represented by outstanding contributions to PA education and the profession. Nominated candidates must demonstrate outstanding contributions in a minimum of three of the following areas:

• Teaching (develops innovative teaching methods that encourage students’ active and continuous learning, fosters critical thinking and challenges students; demonstrates commitment to students’ continuous improvement and professional growth)
• Scholarship (makes significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge, understanding, problem solving, and pedagogy as evidenced through publications, presentations, grants, research and/or creative activities; serves as a mentor to other colleagues; fosters faculty development)
• Administration (exemplifies administrative effectiveness and demonstrates accomplishments that enhance the program’s mission; demonstrates leadership in or enhancement of curriculum development; participates in committees that advance PA education and the profession)
• Professional service (serves in leadership roles in professional organizations and/or the community; engages in activities that advance the profession and enhance public health education)

The recipient of this award will receive a $500 check and a plaque.

Requirements

• Minimum of seven years’ teaching PA students
• Letter of nomination from immediate supervisor or program director
• Evaluation of teaching activities, as evidenced through peer and/or student evaluations of teaching quality
• A maximum of two letters of support from colleagues, students, or other individuals knowledgeable about the candidate’s teaching skills
• Nominations for this award must be accompanied by a complete CV

Outstanding Service Award

This award honors an individual who has provided sustained, exceptional service or leadership to APAP, or who has contributed to the advancement of the PA profession in other ways, e.g., through scholarly activity, teaching, or as an advocate for the profession in the public and private arenas. Nominee may or may not be directly associated with a PA program. Anyone may nominate a candidate for this award. The winner of this award will receive a clock and a commemorative plaque.

APAP Partnership Award

This award honors an individual or institution outside of formal PA program circles, e.g., a preceptor or local organization that has made an outstanding contribution to excellence in PA education. The winner will receive a commemorative plaque.

Research Achievement Award

This award provides recognition for research and scholarly work, relating to PA education. Anyone may nominate a candidate for this award. The award will go to either

• An individual who has a distinguished record of scholarly contributions to PA education over many years
• An individual who has authored a recent seminal work of importance to PA educators

The recipient of this award will receive a $500 check and a commemorative sculpture.

Requirements

• Letter of nomination outlining the candidate’s past accomplishments. In the case of a single effort, a letter noting the research effort of significance, accompanied by a copy of the published work.
• Nominations for this award must be accompanied by the candidate’s CV
• Additional letters of support are encouraged, but not required

Excellence Through Diversity Award

Winners for the Excellence Through Diversity Award will be determined by the APAP Nomination and Awards Committee, with input from the members of the Committee on Ethnic and Cultural Diversity. Preference may be given to those nominees whose work on diversity has not been recognized previously by similar awards.

The award recognizes the outstanding commitment and achievements of an APAP member program in its implementation of specific strategies and activities designed to foster the diversity of program faculty, staff, and student body. This award will be based on the program’s demonstration of the following:

• Diversity among program faculty, staff, and student body
• Successful outreach to and recruitment from diverse and underserved populations
• Development and implementation of diversity training and educational experiences for faculty and students
• Research and scholarship pertaining to diversity and the inclusion process
• Leadership and advocacy in the areas of diversity

The recipient program will receive a $500 check and a commemorative plaque.

Requirements

• The program must have been accredited for the past five years.
• The program must be an APAP member at the time of nomination.
• The program should have averaged 90 percent underrepresented minority retention over the past five years.
• Faculty must have demonstrated commitment to service and recruitment of underrepresented/disadvantaged populations to the PA profession by formalized, regular outreach program to disadvantaged/minority populations.
• A program director, medical director, or faculty member must nominate the program.
• A single nomination letter should be sent, clearly describing the program’s qualifications as they pertain to diversity and resulting contributions to APAP and the PA profession.

Nomination Procedures for All Awards

Nominations for all awards must be submitted electronically. Up to two letters of support will be accepted, in addition to the letter of nomination. Letters written in support of a nomination should designate the person, program, and award for which the nomination is being submitted. Letters should be sent directly to the national office and may be sent separately.

Nominations and related material must be sent electronically to the national office to arrive no later than July 15, 2005. Please send submissions to Eileen Evans, eileen@aapa.org.

All nominations and letters of support will be acknowledged. If you do not receive a confirmation within two business days, please contact Ms. Evans at 703/836-2272, ext. 3415, to be certain that material was received.