Dr. Singh receives national teaching award

Sanjay Singh, M.D.

Sanjay Singh, M.D., associate professor in the department of neurological sciences at UNMC, has received the prestigious 2009 A. B. Baker Teaching Award from the American Academy of Neurology.

Dr. Singh received the award last Monday at the academy’s annual meeting in Seattle where more than 7,000 attendees gathered from around the world. The American Academy of Neurology is the nation’s largest professional organization for neurologists.

“This is good as it gets in terms of neurological teaching awards,” said Pierre Fayad, M.D., Reynolds Centennial Professor and chairman in the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences. “Dr. Singh is an exceptional teacher who gets always top evaluations for his lectures, knowledge, delivery, inspiration and mentoring.”

Dr. Singh was one of 18 neurologists from around the world to receive the award. Others who received the award hailed from institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, UCLA, Northwestern University and from other institutions.

Dr. Singh has a long history teaching accolades, Dr. Fayad said, some of which include:

• His appointment in July as director of the UNMC-Creighton University Joint Neurology Residency Program;
  
• Being voted teacher of the year four times in the past five years by neurology residents. This is the residency program’s top teaching honor; and
  
• Receiving the UNMC Internal Medicine “Extra Mile Teaching Award” by the Internal Medicine Residency Program in 2005.

“He is an education star as I have never witnessed before.” Pierre Fayad, M.D., on Sanjay Singh, M.D.

Dr. Singh also consistently receives outstanding teaching evaluations from medical students, nurses and residents at the various lectures he gives locally and nationally, Dr. Fayad said.

And his teaching prowess extends beyond work with students as was evidenced by the extremly positive response Dr. Singh’s presentation during a February Science Cafe in Omaha, Dr. Fayad said.

At that event, held at the Slowdown in Omaha, hundreds of members of the greater Omaha community sat captivated as Dr. Singh described how the brain functions.

His presentation drew rave reviews from those in attendance and also generated positive comments from the “blogosphere,” where some praised Dr. Singh for his ability to make sense of the brain’s complexities.

“Dr. Singh feels equally at ease in teaching medical professionals as with lay persons,” Dr. Fayad said. “He is an education star as I have never witnessed before.”