Mohammed K. Khalil, DVM, PhD, MSEd, Clinical Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Greenville
From his beloved horses, whom he worked with when he trained as a veterinarian in his native Sudan, to his students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Greenville, whom he has gently guided, Dr. Mohammed K. Khalil has been a steadying hand in the lives of others throughout his career.
Dr. Khalil’s student-first approach to medical education led to his recruitment as a founding faculty member at the UofSC School of Medicine - Greenville in 2012. “Among our founding faculty, Mo was unique because of his training and clear understanding of educational psychology, his proven record of effectiveness and innovation in teaching, and his utilization of that knowledge and training into effective practice,” writes Jerry Youkey, MD, dean of UofSC School of Medicine - Greenville.
Dr. Khalil’s research frequently focuses on the use of technology in medical education. In one study, he compared how well students learn using traditional paper-based materials with how well they learn using computer-based information and discovered that innovative, computer-based instructional strategies were more efficient. He is considered a “histology guru” because of his intensive study and understanding of microscopic anatomy.
Dr. Khalil has received several prestigious awards from UofSC, including being the first member of the UofSC School of Medicine - Greenville’s biomedical sciences faculty in the non-tenure track to be promoted by his peers to the rank of professor. In 2017, he earned the Garnet Apple Award for Teaching Innovation for the university’s most exceptional faculty. He has also received the Innovation in Education Award, the Golden Peach Award for excellence in M1 education, and several student choice awards.
Dr. Khalil, who also serves as director of the Student Academic Success Program, is a favorite. “The thing that comes to mind as my best time is when I’m with a student; it is the most enjoyable part,” he said recently. “When I moved here from Sudan, I missed my family at the beginning; it was not an easy thing, but when I was with the students, all of those worries melted away.”
Trained in veterinary medicine and anatomy at the University of Khartoum, Dr. Khalil moved to Alabama in the 1990s to further his anatomy studies at Tuskegee University, earning a master’s degree in anatomy. He went on to earn a third master’s degree (in educational technology) and a PhD in anatomy education from Purdue University in 2002. Dr. Khalil was recruited to UofSC School of Medicine – Greenville in 2012 from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, where he was a founding faculty member and an assistant professor.
Learn more about the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award