— Interprofessional Academy of Educators — Membership — Distinguished Educator

Distinguished Educator

Be recognized for sharing your knowledge and skills with fellow educators.

The Distinguished Educator designation is the highest honor in Academy membership. It is awarded to a faculty member who consistently demonstrates excellence in teaching and peer mentoring to promote the development of the next generation of effective and innovative teachers.

Due to the competitive nature and prestige of the award, no more than two individuals will be named Distinguished Educators each award cycle.

Description

Benefits

Requirements

Application

Distinguished Educators are UNMC faculty members who serve as trusted resources and help guide their colleagues in developing teaching skills, enhancing pedagogical approaches and improving student learning outcomes. 

They engage and inspire students and educators to learn, think critically, encourage collaboration, and foster a supportive culture of teaching and learning at UNMC.

Distinguished Educators are committed to faculty and student success and demonstrate the impact of their teaching and mentoring. They continuously seek to improve their teaching practice and stay current with the latest pedagogical research and innovations.

Distinguished Educators must have demonstrated evidence of teaching proficiency, innovation, robust application of pedagogical approaches and learning based on evidence-based practices.

The Distinguished Educator designation is the highest honor in Academy membership. As such, it comes with additional benefits, on top of what you gain as an Academy Member.

Opportunity to note oneself as an “IAE Distinguished Educator” for P&T, teaching awards and other opportunities 
Recognition at IAE InnovatED Symposium
IAE Digital Service Transcript
Automatic Academies Collaborative Speaker’s Bureau Member

The nominee must hold a faculty appointment and demonstrate excellence in service, teaching, mentoring, educational scholarship, continuous self and professional development, and empowering other educators at UNMC. 

Academy Membership Requirements
Applicants must be an active Academy Member for at least two years at the time of applying to be a Distinguished Educator.

Associate, Affiliate and Emeritus Members are not eligible.

Activity Requirements
Distinguished Educators are required to engage in at least three of the following activities per year and complete a renewal process every five years to maintain the designation:  

Serve as an active member of the Distinguished Educators Special Interest Group
Serve as an active IAE teaching peer feedback trainer/mentor
Complete at least two peer feedback reviews each year (or as needed)
Participate in Teaching Launchpad yearly as a contributor or organizer
Participate in InnovatED Symposium yearly as a contributor or organizer
Mentor 1-2 IAE members per year (formal mentees assigned by IAE) 
Lead a unique teaching or mentoring initiative (TBD by IAE leadership and Distinguished Educator)

Applications are by nomination. To apply, faculty should submit the online application, which will include:

Teaching Narrative
Learn how to write a teaching narrative

Letters of Recommendation (4 are required):

1 letter from your department chair or director 
1 letter from your college dean or institute director
2 letters from your teaching mentees (advised/coached/guided or formally mentored) and/or students (current or previous)

Application Period

Opens: April 23, 2024
Closes: July 31, 2024

Current Distinguished Educators

Betsy Becker, DPT, PhD

Associate Professor
Chair, Department of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
Director, Physical Therapy Education
College of Allied Health Professions

Dr. Betsy Becker is an esteemed educator and leader at UNMC. Her career is marked by innovative teaching methodologies and research in educational technology, instructional development and curricular design. Committed to advising and mentorship, she guides students and faculty toward excellence, fostering effective professional networks.

Dr. Becker’s influence extends beyond UNMC, evidenced by her contribution at both state and national levels, advancing educational initiatives and policies. Her strategic guidance fosters collaborative learning environments, enhancing student experiences and promoting faculty development across UNMC’s Kearney and Omaha campuses.

Read Dr. Becker's bio

Nancy E. Krusen, PhD, OTR/L

Professor
Director, Occupational Therapy
College of Allied Health Professions

Dr. Nancy Krusen is the founding program director for the entry-level occupational therapy clinical doctorate at UNMC. Her educational philosophy is grounded in occupational adaptation and translational science. Occupational adaptation proposes the development of adaptive strategies to manage daily life challenges. Translational science engages knowledge users to create innovations for health and wellness. These values help her f ind the just-right challenge in service, teaching and learning, mentoring, and education-based scholarship.

At the end each day, Dr. Krusen asks herself whether she has made a difference. She believes that educators plant seeds for trees in the shade of which we may never sit. She values the past and looks to the future and feels there is always more to learn and more to do.

Read Dr. Krusen's bio.

Justin Mott, MD, PhD

Director, MD-PhD Scholars Program
Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
College of Medicine

A strong advocate for mentoring both faculty and students, Dr. Justin Mott believes in assessing each mentee individually, based on their strengths, needs, goals and weaknesses. In addition to liver disease and DNA and RNA biology, Dr. Mott teaches about principles of leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, bias, overcoming barriers to inclusion, and conflict resolution to students and faculty.

He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the Distinguished Graduate Student Mentor Award and the UNMC-wide Impact in Education Varner Educator Laureate Award.

Read Dr. Mott's bio.

Geoffrey A. Talmon, MD, MEd

Professor and Vice Chair for Medical Education, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Associate Dean for Medical Education
College of Medicine

Dr. Geoffrey Talmon has more than 15 years of experience mentoring and guiding both faculty and students at UNMC. He was the inaugural director of the Interprofessional Academy of Educators, the UNMC Impact in Education Varner Educator Laureate awardee in 2021, and the University of Nebraska Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award recipient in 2023.

His innovations include development of a pathology externship, an off-ramp master’s degree for medical students, and the first pathology course for high schoolers in the nation. Dr. Talmon was one of the leaders of the College of Medicine’s curriculum redesign and served as pathology residency director. The book he co-edited, “Mind the Gap: Generational Differences in Medical Education,” is the first work dedicated to managing intergenerational conflict in medical education.

Read Dr. Talmon's bio.