Faculty of Health Teaching Award

Lisbeth Berbary is an empathetic, passionate, and energetic instructor. She stays up to date with current issues and events and is an active advocate for her students. Dr. Berbary works hard to ensure her students are prepared for further studies as well as life outside the classroom. With this award, Berbary was recognized for her innovative teaching, her application of intellectual rigor and integrity in her courses, her favourable and lasting influence on her students, and her sensitivity to her students' academic and personal growth.

Dr. Berbary would like to give thanks to the kind students who nominated her; acknowledge the effort and talent of her graduate student teaching assistants, Mel Lim, Giana Tomas, Noramy Gonzalia Diaz, and Shannon McCormick; and overall offer deep appreciation to the many students who have so often given their time, care, and respect to her courses.

Sharon Kirkpatrick is a particularly innovative and successful instructor who continually works to make her courses more meaningful to students and teaches them to advocate for and value themselves. Dr. Kirkpatrick integrates weekly profiles of notable individuals working in public health and organizes panel discussions to help students explore career options related to the course topics. She experiments with different approaches to grading that focus on meaningful feedback, and explicitly integrates concepts related to anti-racism and other forms of oppression in her courses.

“This year was a tremendously challenging one for students and instructors alike,” Kirkpatrick said. “I am so appreciative of the students in my courses who provided feedback to help me actively engage them and enthusiastically participated in online discussions, peer feedback, and other strategies to collaborate with one another, even in a remote environment.”

Kirkpatrick’s research focuses on dietary assessment, dietary patterns and inequities, and food policy, among other topics. She has been with the School of Public Health Sciences since 2013.

Chris Vigna has received many Teaching Award nominations over the past several years, and is consistently cited as an enthusiastic, engaging instructor. Chris goes the extra mile to make his courses energizing and meaningful, bringing passion and a great sense of humour to every lecture. According to one student, "if the man can make statistics interesting, he without a doubt deserves this award."

In their nomination letters, many students said how thankful they were to have an instructor who genuinely cares about their well-being and success both inside and outside of the classroom. As one student said, "he very clearly cares about each and every student he teaches, responding thoughtfully to student concerns and offering extra support outside of class." Chris makes himself available to students to provide additional mentorship, and remembers to ask about important life events and milestones, such as job interviews and graduate studies applications.

Beyond the classroom, Chris served as a Faculty Teaching Fellow for three years, and currently champions teaching on the administrative side as Kinesiology's Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies. He continues to contribute actively to teaching excellence by leading teaching workshops and attending teaching conferences, and Chris's impact is felt throughout the Faculty.

In their nomination letters, students described Tamara Maciel as an "amazing instructor" who is "passionate about teaching." Multiple students noted that they even looked forward to attending her 8:30 a.m. class (no small feat!). Tamara's students praised her enthusiasm, cheerful and positive attitude, and for the mentorship she provides to students. Tamara's high-impact practices are highly motivating to students: “She teaches in such a way that every day I am excited to come to class and learn anatomy."

In addition to her teaching portfolio, Tamara serves as a Program Director for the School of Anatomy and as the Department of Kinesiology representative on the AHS Teaching Fellows team. She brings incredible energy to her service and always looks for ways to facilitate meaningful learning experiences. She frequently engages in training, workshops, and self-study to improve her teaching, and is a tech-savvy, forward-thinking instructor. Her tireless work serves as an inspiration to her colleagues and to her students: “Because of her, I found my passion for anatomy.”

Engaging, passionate, welcoming, unique and accommodating are some of the words used to describe the exceptional classroom atmosphere and level of education that Professor Zara Rafferty delivers term-in and term-out. Zara's strong classroom teaching reflects a genuine effort to advance the learning experiences of and outcomes for Recreation and Leisure Studies students. The innovations she introduces to the classroom inspire others. In the words of one student, “Zara changed the course of my academic career.”

Her service in support of advancing effective teaching in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and in the Faculty make a big difference. Throughout the 2018 academic calendar, Zara lead the AHS Teaching Fellows and was the Recreation and Leisure Studies Teaching Mentor. Zara has had a real impact on efforts to strengthen the quality of instruction to the benefit of our students. “She is by far most deserving of the AHS Teaching Award.”

Professor Neiterman has distinguished herself as a leader in classroom teaching and as a pedagogical innovator. "She uses innovative teaching techniques to enhance critical thinking and collaboration," one student said. "These teaching methods allow students to not only thoroughly understand course material, but also how to gain essential skills."

Throughout the year, Professor Neiterman attends workshops, webinars, and seminars to ensure that her teaching closely reflects evidence-based practices. Her dedication to course design and implementation has impacted her students deeply. "Dr. Neiterman was quite possibly one of the greatest professors in SPHHS. She made course content very relatable and alive," wrote one of her nominators.

In additional to applying innovative teaching methodologies in her classroom, Professor Neiterman maintains an active research portfolio. She recently secured LITE grant funding to investigate instructor and student perspectives on the use of technology in the classroom.

This year, Professor Neiterman was appointed to represent SPHHS on the faculty Teaching Fellows Committee. Her expertise and dedication make her an invaluable champion for the faculty. "Dr. Neiterman's passion about the healthcare system really inspired me and made me fall in love with public health."

Professor Satvat’s students appreciate how concerned she is about their success and how excited she is about her material.

“She cares about our wellbeing,” explains a former student. “She never turns a student away when they knock on her door.”

Professor Satvat teaches her students with patience and encourages them to not give up if they make mistakes in the research lab. She also facilitates interactive class discussions, which help to solidify concepts.

All say their undergraduate experience is the richer for having had Professor Satvat as their instructor.

Professor Quadrilatero’s students note his commitment to ensuring that they are fully comprehending class material and they feel his class is always a welcoming space for learning.

“He excels when students are unable to grasp a difficult concept;” says one of his students. “He can sense confusion during lectures and always seems to know the perfect analogy or explanation that will allow students to understand the course content.”

Students all seem to agree that Professor Quadrilatero really cares about his students’ success and their learning experiences in his classes. As another student reflects, “Looking back, I do not think I have ever felt so comfortable asking questions of a professor.”

The fact that Chris Perlman, 2015 recipient of the annual AHS Teaching Award, was nominated by multiple members of his three-hour Friday afternoon class speaks volumes.

Students say his expertise and passion for health research and policy inspires them to "think beyond what we normally do and encourages us to question policy perspectives."

In his classes, Chris shows "excellent forethought and structure" in course design, and "stellar rapport with students." Students describe again and again how he engaged them in critical thinking through debates and guided them with his expertise and professional and personal experiences.

Professor Perlman's "open nature allowed us to form a connection to him," explains one of his students. "We were inspired by his passion. He appreciated us, and thanked us for contributing."

Luke Potwarka, 2014 recipient of the annual AHS Teaching Award, facilitates meaningful and engaging classroom experiences that challenge students to think critically about their world.

Luke’s enthusiasm and passion for issues related to mega-sport events inspires many Recreation and Leisure Studies students.

Luke integrates research and real-world applications of theory, and provides knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to excel in sport and event leadership roles.

Here’s just some of what his students have to say:

• "Outstanding prof..."
• "Always puts the interests and needs of the students in front of his own..."
• "Adds valuable real life applications through discussion and lectures..."
• "His enthusiasm and sense of humour creates a motivation to learn."