Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award

Robert M. Klein, Ph.D.
University of Kansas School of Medicine

The Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards were established by the AOA medical honor society in 1988 to provide national recognition to faculty members who have distinguished themselves in medical student education. The award is named for long-time AOA executive secretary Robert J. Glaser, M.D.

Walk into the first-year anatomy course at the University of Kansas School of Medicine (KU School of Medicine) and you might think you had stepped into a law school. There, in true Socratic form, you'll hear intellectual give-and-take on the approximately 650 skeletal muscles, 206 bones, and 210 distinct cell types of the human body. That's because when it comes to learning about human anatomy, Professor Robert M. Klein, Ph.D., insists upon something more than simply rote memorization: he demands the development of critical thinking skills that last a physician's lifetime.

Dr. Klein is also known for setting high standards for faculty, and has served as associate dean for professional development and faculty affairs at KU School of Medicine since 2002. He has led curricular design programs, directed numerous courses, chaired most of the school's major faculty governance committees, and headed several faculty development initiatives. Recently, he served as chief architect of the school of medicine's Professionalism Initiative, which developed guidelines for professional conduct on the part of medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty.

Additionally, Dr. Klein's goal to modernize medical education has led to innovations in the school of medicine's curriculum, such as the virtual microscopy system. This new technology, which involves the posting and transmission of microscopic images over computer networks, allows students to create their own anatomical atlases and annotate virtual slides from their Tablet PCs. Introduced last year, the system has facilitated the integration of case-based histopathology into the school's new medical curriculum.

Dr. Klein received his B.A. cum laude with honors in biology from Queens College of the City University of New York, and earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at New York University. He has received all the school's major teaching honors, including 17 "Student Voice Awards for Excellence," an accolade presented by the first-year medical class for outstanding instruction. Additionally, he was honored with the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award, which recognizes outstanding classroom instruction, as well as the Ruth H. Bohan Teaching Professorship, the highest school of medicine recognition of medical teaching. Dr. Klein is also the only University of Kansas faculty member twice honored by receipt of a Kemper Fellowship, an award recognizing the institution's outstanding teachers and advisors.

In addition to writing more than 80 manuscripts and book chapters, Dr. Klein has coauthored two books: Pretest, Histology and Cell Biology—now in its third edition—and Basic Concepts in Cell Biology and Histology.

Find out more about the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award, nominate a deserving individual, and view a list of previous award recipients.