WASHINGTON, D.C., November 5, 2005 - Four medical school professors from across the country have been recognized by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) for their unyielding efforts to give the upcoming generation of doctors an exceptional educational experience. Established by the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society, the Robert J. Glaser AOA Distinguished Teacher Awards were presented tonight during a special ceremony at the AAMC Annual Meeting. The 2005 recipients are:

Paul F. Aravich, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Anatomy
Eastern Virginia Medical School

Dr. Paul Aravich makes community service a priority for his students, encouraging them to go "beyond grades" and get involved "outside the medical school." In recent years, he has partnered his students with allied health professionals for volunteer service with a local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and has arranged for his students to teach seventh graders about bicycle helmet safety. Many of Dr. Aravich's students praise his lessons and report that their participation in his brain injury outreach efforts is the best part of their medical education. Students also consistently give high reviews of his gross anatomy, neuroscience, pathology and geriatric clerkships.

Dr. Aravich is the lead faculty advisor for "Primary Care/Community Care Days," a student-run program that provides health information to local underserved populations. By gubernatorial appointment, he represents the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Virginia on the Virginia Public Guardian and Conservator Board and chairs the board's ad hoc committee on end-of-life issues.

Dr. Aravich received his bachelor's degree in social science from Villanova University and his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the City University of New York. He later did post-doctoral work in neuroendocrinology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry as a National Institute of Mental Health-National Research Service Award fellow.

David Golan, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology,
Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital

For most of his career, Dr. David Golan has been known for his support of student-faculty collaboration. Twenty years ago he launched a groundbreaking course, "Principles of Pharmacology," for first-year medical and dental students. Today he serves as course director, major lecturer, and head tutor. To give students a more in-depth educational experience, he includes medical students as conference leaders and teaching fellows in his courses.

Several years ago, Dr. Golan worked with 43 students and 39 faculty members to co-author a textbook based on his pharmacology course. A second edition of Principles of Pharmacology: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy is now underway.

Dr. Golan received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Harvard University, his M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine, and his Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University. He completed his residency in internal medicine and was a research fellow in hematology-oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Louis N. Pangaro, M.D.
Professor, Department of Medicine
F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine of the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences

Among his colleagues and students, Dr. Louis Pangaro is known as a teacher of all ages. His energetic, engaging teaching style has helped clinical departments improve faculty performance and clinical instruction, according to his co-workers. Dr. Pangaro has been an influential force in the education of all USUHS medical students because he has served for 20 years on the school's education committee. He studied a system of interactive grading conferences and created the Clinical WebLog - an online method for tracking and enhancing the teaching value of individual patient encounters. In addition, he launched a performance-based rating scheme that quantifies student accomplishments. The system has since been implemented in dozens of medical schools worldwide.

Dr. Pangaro has also worked to enhance medical education nationally, serving on several National Board of Medical Examiner (NBME) committees, including the Stemmler Medical Education Research Fund and the Center for Innovation, Electronic Health Records Task Force. He developed "standardized examinees" to calibrate the NBME clinical skills exam and is now an at-large member of the NBME.

Dr. Pangaro received his bachelor's degree in English from Georgetown University and his M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He remained at the Georgetown University Hospital to complete his internship and residency in internal medicine. He also completed an endocrinology fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Robert T. Watson, M.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs
Professor, Department of Neurology
University of Florida College of Medicine

Dr. Robert Watson has received every major teaching award and recognition offered by the University of Florida College of Medicine. He is well known among students as an advisor and mentor and is appreciated for his "open-door policy."

Serving as senior associate dean for educational affairs for the past 15 years, Dr. Watson has been described as the impetus behind almost every chief educational innovation at the medical school. Under his guidance, the Health Science Center created a Medical Student Reading Room where students can read and reflect on doctoring. That effort spawned a "narrative medicine" program and other art and history of medicine programs. He also co-developed, and is recognized for, the concept of mission-based budgeting - a concept that has revolutionized the funding of medical education.

Dr. Watson received both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Florida. He completed his internship in medicine-surgery at the University of Alabama School of Medicine and University Hospital in Birmingham. He completed his residency in neurology at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

The Robert J. Glaser AOA Distinguished Teacher Award is named for long-time AOA executive secretary Robert J. Glaser, M.D. This award was initiated in 1988 to provide national recognition to outstanding faculty members who have distinguished themselves in medical student education.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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