Justin Mott, MD, PhD named Varner Educator Laureate

For Justin Mott, MD, PhD, the biggest joys of teaching come at the hardest moments, the times when a student is struggling – perhaps with grades, perhaps with another life challenge.

"In that time of difficulty, it’s my chance to give back," he said. "I can be very comfortable in the uncertainty. I can be supportive even though it’s not my struggle. And I can relate to the student, having been through my own fair share of challenges."

Dr. Mott, associate professor in the UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and director of the MD-PhD Scholars Program, is this year’s recipient of the Varner Educator Laureate Award. He will be honored, along with other awardees, at a virtual ceremony on today.

Watch the event here or on Facebook Live.

Dr. Mott, who earned his PhD in 2003 and his MD in 2004, said his passion for teaching grew gradually.

"I found myself, in the research lab, really valuing the time I got to mentor other people," he said.

The dual challenges of keeping himself up to date on the latest advances and assisting in the development and growth of the students kept pulling him back to the teacher/mentor role.

"Eventually I knew that teaching was going to have to be part of what I did — I wouldn’t be satisfied if it wasn’t there."

The opportunity to teach was one of the things that drew him to UNMC in 2011. The other was the presence of mentors – educator mentors.

Department colleagues Laurey Steinke, PhD, and Rick MacDonald, PhD, "were both obvious teaching mentors," Dr. Mott said. "I could see that I would develop under their tutelage."

He also pointed to retired professor Bill Cheney, PhD, as a mentor – "he was one of those teachers who, not only were they invested in teaching, but they were invested in teaching other people how to teach."

Most of Dr. Mott’s own educational efforts are in the gastrointestinal/organ system block in the UNMC College of Medicine, where he teaches on liver cancer and metabolism. He also teaches in the fundamentals block, which is the first block in the medical school.

"These topics relate to my research," he said. "My research is studying liver cancer, and particularly how RNA regulates cancer signaling. So that’s a nice reinforcement of the topics for my teaching."

He also oversees the college’s growing MD/PhD program. Having attended the MD/PhD program at St. Louis University, he is well attuned to the "challenging path" his MD/PhD students face.

Receiving the Varner Educator Laureate Award at a time when all educators are struggling with the challenge of the pandemic is particularly humbling, he said. He pointed to colleagues Sean Figy, MD, and Regan Taylor, MD, who created the "Impact of Infectious Diseases" course as the medical college was pivoting to remote learning during the beginning of the pandemic, as the type of innovative educators who make him proud to be part of the UNMC faculty.

"That course was an important piece of the college’s response to the challenge of the pandemic," he said.

Dr. Mott said he was struggling with receiving the Varner Award.

"This is an individual award, and while I’m proud of what I’ve done, I really want to recognize the community of educators that we have here," he said. "It means so much to me, and I see the folks who came before, I see the folks who mentored me and support me now – very often behind the scenes. But there are ‘teachers at heart’ in every program, in every department, in every college at UNMC. And that is so rewarding.

"I want to thank the students and the other teachers, who are so integral to UNMC and who have made my job so rewarding."