2017 Dean's Awards: Education Honorees (with video)

On Nov. 14, 2017, Dean Marschall S. Runge, M.D., Ph.D., and the executive vice deans for the University of Michigan Medical School presented Dean's Awards to 23 faculty and staff for exceptional accomplishment in the areas of teaching, research, clinical care, community service, innovation and administration.

This year's recipients, who received their awards during a dinner and ceremony in the Omenn Atrium of the A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building, include Kaiser Permanente Award for Excellence in Pre-Clinical Teaching recipient Jennifer N. Stojan, M.D., MHPE; Kaiser Permanente Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching recipient Zachary N. London, M.D.; and Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Education recipients Kate F. Barald, Ph.D., and Michael J. Shea, M.D.

“This group of honorees plays a vital role in educating the doctors and scientists of the future,” said Carl R. Bradford, M.D., executive vice dean for academic affairs and chief academic officer for Michigan Medicine. “They are giving of their time and expertise, generously sharing what was taught to them — and what they have experienced during their own careers — with the up-and-coming learners who will go forth to represent Michigan Medicine.”

Jennifer N. Stojan, M.D., MHPE, is an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics and communicable diseases in the Medical School.

A graduate of the University of Michigan Inteflex program (2002), Medical School (2006), Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program (2010) and Masters in Health Professions Education Program (2015), she joined the U-M faculty in 2010 as a hospitalist in the departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases. She was promoted to assistant professor in 2013.

She has instructed and mentored learners at all levels. She was a small-group instructor in the Family Centered Experience course, has worked on the teaching services in pediatrics and is a patient safety instructor in the Internal Medicine residency program. She has helped both medical students and residents pursue scholarly work, presenting at national conferences and publishing in journals.

She is the current director of the Medical School’s Doctoring course and has played an important role in the ongoing transformation of the medical student curriculum. 

Zachary N. London, M.D., is the James W. Albers Collegiate Professor of Neurology and an associate professor of neurology in the Medical School.

He joined the Medical School faculty in 2006 as a clinical lecturer of neurology. He was promoted to assistant professor of neurology in 2007, and associate professor in 2014.

He is a popular teacher of medical students and has used technology to instruct learners at all levels. This includes the development of several web and mobile-based platforms: Nerve Whiz, and Neuro Localizer, free interactive tools to teach neuroanatomic pathways within both the central and peripheral nervous system; and EMG Whiz, a web-based interactive simulator designed to teach and assess electrodiagnostic problem-solving skills. In addition, he published the board game, “The Lesion: Charcot’s Tournament,” to help medical students and trainees experience the excitement of neurologic localization.

In 2013, he was a member of the inaugural class of inductees into the Medical School’s League of Educational Excellence. 

Kate F. Barald, Ph.D., is a professor of cell and developmental biology in the Medical School and a professor of biomedical engineering in the Medical School/College of Engineering.

A member of the Medical School faculty since 1981, she also has held a joint appointment and full professorship in biomedical engineering since 2005. She has taught in the Medical School, Dental School, LSA and College of Engineering during her career, including courses in cell biology, neuroscience, developmental biology, histology, microfluidics, stem cell biology and classics/forensic science (in a course she designed called Beyond the Iliad). She developed a graduate course in histology that focuses on stem cells, and designed and won a University award for a course on sound, hearing and deafness. She also developed, taught and has served as course director for the Program in Biomedical Sciences Research and Responsibility course for 17 years.

Since 2009, she has directed the U-M Post-Baccalaureate Research and Education Program, which prepares underrepresented students to pursue doctorates in the science, technology and engineering fields.

Michael J. Shea, M.D., is a professor of internal medicine in the Medical School.

A graduate of the University of Michigan (1971) and Medical School (1975), he completed an internship, residency and fellowship at the U-M before joining the Medical School faculty in 1978 as an instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine. He was promoted to assistant professor of internal medicine in 1982, associate professor in 1988, and full professor in 1997.

An educator who teaches learners at all levels, he serves as a preceptor to medical students in his outpatient cardiology clinics, and supervises students when he serves as attending on the inpatient cardiology service. He also devotes a large amount of time to teaching medical residents and cardiology fellows.

He is a multiple Dean’s Awards honoree, as he received the Kaiser Permanente Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching in 2002. In 2013, he was a member of the inaugural class of inductees into the Medical School’s League of Educational Excellence.