Featured Faculty
2023 Excellence in Teaching Award
In June 2023, the Division of Management was honored to have two faculty selected to receive the Excellence in Teaching Award: Drs. Niki Steckler and Jessica Walter. This award comes from students, as they directly nominate faculty and select recipients. This year, four faculty were selected from across all of Graduate Studies.
Student nominations highlighted Dr. Steckler’s invitation to “take important introspective journeys to apply the material in ways that cement the lessons in their mind". The coursework is directly applicable and geared for personal growth. “She made everything she taught relatable, applicable, and fascinating.” With a focus on the individual student, “Niki is a true mentor and advocate for her students”.
Dr. Walter supports students through “well thought out [courses], supportive of students from all backgrounds, and diverse minds”. In office hours, students are able to “talk through issues with assignments and…to succeed in her class”. “Jessica is exceptionally organized and knows the material she teaches at a level I have not witnessed previously. She's brilliant, kind, passionate, and accessible.”
The School of Medicine published a list of all 2023 honors and awards for Undergraduate Medical Education and Graduate Studies.
2023 Excellence in Assessment Award
In 2023, the Healthcare MBA and the M.S. in Healthcare Administration programs received the OHSU Provost Award for Excellence in Program Assessment. This prestigious honor “is for programs that have received the highest scores on both their assessment plan and report and whose reviewer comments highlight this impressive work”. According to the Assessment Council’s review, both programs received perfect scores for their assessment plans and reporting. As a Division, we strive to assess the achievement of student learning outcomes for continuous improvement of our programs. We are honored to be one of four programs recognized for this illustrious achievement.
2023 Excellence in Education Award
Jim Huntzicker, Ph.D., M.M., Professor, was selected by Graduate Studies leadership to receive the Excellence in Education Award 2023. This distinguished award “recognizes faculty who have demonstrated exceptional organizational leadership in enhancing student education, advancing education through the development and creation of new instructional materials or curricular designs, and service as an outstanding educator and/or mentor for students of graduate studies at OHSU”. More specifically, Dr. Huntzicker was acknowledged for “building a model graduate program that continues to drive an expansive perspective on the intersection of business and medicine, forging a unique curriculum of asynchronous online learning and pairing it with in-person sessions, and being a passionate voice for the OHSU student population”. Dr. Huntzicker has been described as “kind, incredibly insightful, curious, and approachable”. He leads by example, has exhibited unwavering commitment to the Division’s programs and students, and we are incredibly grateful to have the honor of working alongside him.
On May 19, 2023, Division of Management faculty Judy Richardson, M.D., M.B.A., and Jessica Walter, Ed.D., M.A., along with their colleague Megan McGhean, M.S., Department Administrator for Family Medicine, workshopped the use of visuals in teaching and learning at the Symposium for Educational Excellence.
Dr. Richardson spoke of the use of metaphor to capture both ideas and emotions. “We tap into multiple parts of our brains and can collaborate more readily, whether in person or a virtual space.” Using visuals can be playful, but it can also be cathartic for a group, and help a team solve problems by seeing the landscape in a new way.
Ms. McGhean shared how graphic facilitation moves at a speed the draws people in; they see themselves and their ideas represented. “When the pens come out, the phones goes down.” she noted of her experiences using graphic facilitation in meetings, conferences, and workshops.
Dr. Walter encourages students to engage in their own practice using visuals to enhance learning. Moving from narrative to visuals allows us to see connections, find commonalities, and see what might be missing. We can also hold that image in our minds better than pages of text.
As the workshop used live facilitation, the entire presentation is not available. However, we invite you to read more about the use of visuals in teaching and learning, access resources, and even try your hand at drawing people.
Each spring, the School of Medicine asks students to nominate outstanding teachers. In 2022, four faculty in the Division of Management were nominated for their knowledge, passion, and student-centeredness. Here we highlight these faculty using the students’ own words.
Steve Kinder, M.P.A., head of the Division of Management, assistant professor, “has shown his students how much he cares about personal, academic, and career growth.” Even before the pandemic, Steve sought ways to meaningfully connect with students in the online learning platform. From daily participation in the forum to short videos that use stories from his executive and clinical experiences to illustrate concepts, “he uses technology as a platform, not to distance himself from students, but to bring himself closer to their learning processes.” And if a student has missed an assignment or has been quiet in the forum, he reaches out to “make sure that they are receiving the assistance that they truly need.”
Mary Tanski, M.D., M.B.A., department chair of Emergency Medicine, associate professor, brings myriad strengths to the classroom. She “is someone who truly cares about the work she does both clinically and administratively.” As a graduate of the M.B.A. program, she knows what it is like to balance work, school, and family. “She is an inspiration to those of us pursuing this field, and I will always look to her for guidance and support.” In the classroom, the concepts of operations management and quality can be overwhelming. “She clearly has a passion for quality in healthcare that she shares with her students,” which sparks curiosity in her students about how we all can improve the system of healthcare.
Hans VanDerSchaaf, Ph.D., M.P.A., adjunct instructor, digital health strategist, helps his students see “Human Centered Design seen as a valuable tool.” Hans encourages students to bring questions and ideas from their work, applying ideas from the class to making improvements. It is not uncommon for students to take the class project to their leaders. One student notes, “It’s been inspiring enough that I actually took the course assignment and presented it to my group who agreed to find resources to work on it.” Students are making improvements as they learn, not waiting until graduation.
Jessica Walter, Ed.D., M.A., division director, assistant professor, also connects the classroom to the students’ work and career. Education should change the way that we perceive our world and interact with it. “She gently pushes us to think about a framework or situation a different way.” Within the classroom her “guidance and expertise have forever changed the way I write and given me more confidence as a student and in my career.” Learning extends beyond the bounds of courses, extending to office hours where, “Those brief connections regarding assignment questions/clarifications turned into more meaningful conversations about education in general and the value of work.” Jessica was one of three Graduate Studies faculty to be awarded the “Excellence in Teaching Award.”