On Friday, May, 8, the Health Professions faculty and staff held the usual end-of-spring-semester awards ceremony, but due to the pandemic, it had to be done a little differently. Since meeting in person was not possible, more than 100 faculty and staff logged onto one Zoom meeting, where Dean Hagglund recognized the 7 award winners, reading the kind words that their nominators submitted.

Here are this year’s winners:

Faculty Engagement Award: Wilson Majee

The Faculty Engagement Award honors a faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional engagement and service to the community, broadly defined as including the School/University, their profession and/or the local, national, and international community. The nominator wrote:

“Wilson Majee is uniquely prepared to make transformative contributions in collaboration with partners in rural communities. He has capitalized on this comprehensive training, forging a range of collaborations with MU faculty in Nursing, Medicine, Extension, and Health Psychology, as well as University of Western Cape faculty and four key community partners in rural South Africa.

According to one Western Cape collaborator: ‘I have observed through working with Wilson that community engagement is the cornerstone for all his work and life. He is a master of this basic principal of community engagement—planning with people, not for people.’
Certainly, his work brings so much recognition to SHP and the University of Missouri. He has done well in using his upbringing, academic training and MU work experience to decorate not only rural South Africa, but the world, with MU Tiger footprints.”

Excellence in Clinical Service Award: Jenny Keely

The Excellence in Clinical Service Award honors a faculty member who has demonstrated sustained excellence in School and/or University clinical service activities, including clinical teaching and/or direct patient care. These activities reflect the faculty member’s academic and professional expertise and support SHP’s mission; they are outstanding contributions that serve as a model of excellence for all. The nominator wrote:

“This Associate Clinical Professor’s primary clinical role includes direct patient care and bedside teaching for Respiratory Therapy students in three clinical rotations that span the student’s entire first year in the program. She has consistently earned outstanding marks on student course and clinical instructor evaluations. She displays outstanding clinical assessment and delivers the highest quality care to her patients, all while bringing the best qualities forward from each individual student by giving their questions and concerns her fullest attention.

A highly regarded staff RT at University Hospital stated, ‘She is empathetic and compassionate but professional and confident.’ One of her greatest strengths is her ability to communicate not only with students and patients but also with physicians from a wide range of specialties. Her outstanding contributions serve as a model of excellence for students and staff at Mizzou and for clinicians across the state and the country.” 

Excellence in Education Award: Barbara McLay

The Excellence in Education Award honors a faculty member at the level of mid-career or beyond who has demonstrated superlative commitment to the teaching mission. It recognizes efforts spanning a broad range of activities, including traditional instruction, advising, mentoring, training, and outreach activities. The nominators wrote:

“Since 1993, this Associate Clinical Professor and Graduate Program Director has been teaching nearly all the undergraduate courses in our department related to hearing and neurological sciences. She manages to teach the toughest, most demanding courses – the courses that send a few students packing when they find themselves not up to the task – yet she is the professor they most often seek out for advice and support as they navigate their years at Mizzou. She’s been recognized on campus as a finalist for the MU Excellence in Advising Award many times over.

Her skills in teaching and advising are truly exceptional, but an area she has been ‘on fire about’ in the last decade has been inclusion. She showed real determination in steering members of our department toward thinking differently about how we should approach graduate admissions and how we could better consider and include students from diverse backgrounds. She responded to the basic fears many of us had about this change with calm clarity and a purposeful focus. Her consistent effort and energy in moving our department toward expanding our views about how to attract and retain students from diverse backgrounds and truly include and involve them in learning has been outstanding. We are a stronger department for it.”

Excellence in Education— Early Career Award: Jenna Wintemberg

The Early Career award honors a faculty member with fewer than 7 years of teaching experience who has demonstrated superlative commitment to the teaching mission. It recognizes efforts spanning a broad range of activities, including traditional instruction, advising, mentoring, training, and outreach activities. The nominator wrote:

“As an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and in the MPH program, she has enthusiastically and effectively served the department, school and campus in efforts to improve student success. She has taught in multiple content areas, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and in both online and traditional formats. Her goal is for students to leave her courses with a passion for health sciences and a foundation for continued learning; and they do. One student said, “She was truly the best teacher I have had at Mizzou. Her enthusiasm on the topics she lectured over was contagious and inspiring.”

She is also a member of a team of professors who were among the first at MU to adopt Affordable and Open Educational Resources to reduce the costs of educational materials for students. She re-designed the capstone course and developed a custom textbook to bring down overall costs and provide students with the most relevant leadership and organization theories from multiple sources. Because of this work, she was selected by the UM System to serve as an Affordable and Open Educational Resources Faculty Advocate.

Her accomplishments in the classroom are all the more remarkable as you consider her numerous service activities. She has taught Health Professions FIG classes for the past four years; and she is the only faculty member in SHP to hold the Certified Health Education Specialist credential. As such, she coordinates and leads student information sessions regarding that national credentialing exam every semester. She also developed and teaches an online CHES examination preparation course every fall and spring semester. At the state level, she has served as the Chair for the non-profit organization Tobacco Free Missouri and as a Board Member for Missouri Public Health Association. Her extensive service demonstrates her belief that teaching does not end in the classroom but that it is informed by and informs what happens in the community.”

Inclusive Excellence Award: Anita Campbell

The Inclusive Excellence Award recognizes outstanding efforts by a faculty or staff member to enhance an environment of inclusion within the School of Health Professions and/or campus-wide. This can include, but is not limited to, efforts to promote recognition and support of the value of diverse perspectives/experiences, efforts to enhance inclusivity (e.g., via projects, classroom instruction, etc.), and contributions to the celebration of diversity at the school and/or community level. The nominator wrote:

“This Assistant Teaching Professor has shown tremendous willingness and commitment in engaging with the SHP Inclusive Excellence Team as we carry out initiatives for improving diversity and inclusion. She constantly exemplifies the vision and hard work necessary to institute necessary change as we shift our various SHP student cohorts to more closely reflect the patients they will be serving upon graduation.

One of the most impactful activities she has helped develop and lead is the creation of the Pre-PT Scholars program. The Physical Therapy Department is launching this pipeline program in the Fall 2020 semester. The program will provide a host of wrap-around services, including mentoring, academic advising, GRE preparation, and clinical observation opportunities to undergraduate students designated as “Pre-PT” who meet the MU qualifications for Underrepresented Minority student designation. She will also serve as the Faculty Cohort Leader and as such work to engage the participating students in an academic community-setting.”

Dean’s Service Award: Fathia Zaghouani

The Dean’s Service Award recognizes a member of the SHP staff who has demonstrated exemplary service to the school and has gone above and beyond to help others in the School achieve the highest levels of success. The nominator wrote:

“In recent years, this member of the central operations team has become a vital part of our department’s efforts to disseminate high-quality scholarship. Specifically, in 2019 she assumed the responsibility of managing accommodations, travel, and conference registrations for students and faculty attending our national conference. Unfortunately, due to winter weather complications, many faculty and students had to make last-minute travel adjustments. Not only was she proactive in helping students and faculty, but she was incredibly patient and kind throughout the entire process. Her outstanding communication skills, professionalism, time management, and organization enabled students and faculty to attend the conference and successfully represent the School of Health Professions at the national level.

Furthermore, she displays a genuine concern for others and cultivates a positive working environment through an eagerness to help and encourage. She is consistently patient and considerate, responding promptly and with kindness. She embodies a culture of respect, responsibility, excellence, and discovery as she aims to enhance the mission of the school. She reinforces my pride in being a part of the Mizzou family.”

Bridge Builder Award: Sarah Anthony

The Bridge Builder Award recognizes the outstanding efforts of a member of the SHP Staff to reach out and collaborate across departments, the campus, and/or the community. The nominator wrote:

“Throughout her years at SHP, this Sr. Academic Advisor has served as an excellent advisor to students, as a mentor for new staff members during their on-boarding process, done a fantastic job collaborating with academic departments, and continued to take on leadership responsibilities in the Office of Student Services that impact the entire academic unit.

Her passion for working with a diverse group of students in SHP is evident. She provides great information, tremendous service, an empathetic ear, and a welcoming environment to all students whether they are achieving the highest standards or struggling academically or personally. One of her advisee’s said:

‘Being a transfer student, I unfortunately bought into the stereotype that transfer students aren’t prioritized as much as the rest of the student body. When I finally got on campus, she tore down that stereotype the very first meeting I had with her. She was incredibly honest and compassionate about her role and made me feel at ease with the huge transition I was currently facing.’

Another wrote: ‘She is one of the most welcoming individuals I have ever came in contact with, she makes you feel invited, open and confident in yourself every time you see her.’

She has proved herself to be a great collaborator with the departments within SHP. Her willingness to assist coupled with her expertise allows for a great partnership that serves SHP students well. Health Science department leadership noted: ‘we are so grateful to have had many years to experience and benefit from her dedication to student needs, quick responsiveness, caring and pleasant attitude along with her knowledge of academic and institutional processes, policies, and goals.“

SHP Core Values Staff Award: Angie Williams

The SHP Core Values Staff Award recognizes a benefit-eligible staff member who embodies the core values of SHP, demonstrates work ethic and collegiality, engages in professional development and encourages others to do the same, and effectively communicates and collaborates with others. This award includes a $500 stipend. The nominator wrote:

“She demonstrates the core values of the University everyday as she tackles organization and support for two departments, each with their own directors and faculty and student cohorts numbering around 300. This staff position is a demanding one requiring that one individual learn everything there is to know about faculty, staff, students, admissions processes, curriculum revision processes, accreditation standards, and numerous other student support responsibilities for two unique departments.

This individual’s ability to manage numerous responsibilities simultaneously is outstanding. She serves as a role model to others in her work ethic. She is ALWAYS busy. As soon as she experiences a lull in work responsibilities, she is reaching out to faculty and administrators to determine the next big project or small task that needs to be tackled.

She is also continuously investing her own time and effort in enhancing her skill set in order to better serve our departments and the School. She is always eager to learn, no matter what is asked of her.
Beyond her exceptional work ethic, her collegiality and positivity are unmatched. She is responsive to all, never complaining. It is not unusual to see one or more people gathered at her desk for a few minutes just chatting about work or life in general, or perhaps sneaking a piece of candy from the endless supply she keeps in the basket on her desk. This is more than a job to her, it is a mission. She remembers the student’s names, faculty preferences and, is the first smiling face that student applicants see when they enter.

She has enthusiastically embraced her interdisciplinary role and has become an invaluable member of both departments, all while supporting the mission of SHP and exemplifying our institutional values of Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, and Excellence. She has exceeded our expectations in everything that she does.”