CVM Awards Ceremony Recognizes Outstanding Faculty

The College of Veterinary Medicine honored five faculty with top teaching, recognizing their work as exceptional teachers in the college’s mission of educating future veterinarians and biomedical scientists.

“This is a day that we celebrate education and the constant interaction between faculty and students,” said Dr. Dan Givens, associate dean for Academic Affairs. “The faculty honored are truly outstanding clinicians, researchers and educators and are exemplars of the numerous dedicated faculty at the College of Veterinary Medicine.”

“The College is fortunate to have many outstanding faculty who have a passionate commitment to teaching excellence, and we are proud to recognize the best of the best with these awards.”

The following 2016-17 Teaching Awards were made:

The Dr. Lauren G. Wolfe Graduate Teaching Award
The Dr. Lauren G. Wolfe Graduate Teaching Award was presented to Dr. Anne Wooldridge, an associate professor in equine internal medicine in the Department of Clinical Sciences.

Named for and sponsored by retired faculty member Dr. Lauren Wolfe, the award recognizes a faculty member for excellence in educating and mentoring MS and PhD degree candidates in the Biomedical Sciences graduate program.

“It is really an honor to recognize exceptional talent and dedication among our faculty,” said Dr. Jamie Bellah, head of the Department of Clinical Sciences. “Her positive attitude and teaching style encourages students to learn in the classroom and in clinical rotations, and she is a wonderful mentor and example for veterinary students and also for interns and residents in training.”

Dr. Wooldridge received her DVM from Texas A&M University. She completed a rotating internship in large animal medicine and surgery, a residency in large animal internal medicine, and a master’s degree at Louisiana State University. She completed a Ph.D. in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University Medical School in Durham, N.C. In addition to teaching veterinary students, residents and graduate students, Dr. Wooldridge sees clinical cases on the Equine Internal Medicine Service.

The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Dr. Chad D. Foradori, an assistant professor of microanatomy in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology. The award, given since 2000, recognizes an outstanding teacher, and the selection is based on student nominations.

Dr. Foradori joined the Auburn faculty in 2010. A native of Pennsylvania, he received a bachelor’s degree from Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio, and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. Dr. Foradori continued his training as a postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Before joining the faculty at Auburn, he was a research assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix.

“Dr. Foradori is consistently one of the highest rated teachers by students and peers,” said Dr. Edward Morrison, head of the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology. “He has an excellent gift and ability to reason and to relate and he uses those gifts very effectively to teach those skills and others to his students, helping them to acquire a solid basic foundation to become excellent professionals.”

The SGA Teacher of the Year Award
The SGA Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Robyn Wilborn, associate professor of Theriogenology in the Department of Clinical Sciences.

This award is made to an outstanding teacher based on evaluations and selection by the student body of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Wilborn will also be recognized at a spring banquet where outstanding faculty who received the SGA Teaching Award from each college will be recognized.

Dr. Wilborn received a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and a DVM degree, both from Auburn. She relocated to Wichita, Kansas, where she spent three years working in mixed animal practice. She returned to Auburn in spring of 2005 and completed a Theriogenology residency at Auburn. Dr. Wilborn also is co-director of the Equine Reproduction Center.

“Dr. Wilborn is passionate about her teaching and her subjects,” said Dr. Bellah. “She is very effective as a communicator and her students say she relates to them as if they were colleagues. Overall, her students say she is awesome!”

The SCAVMA Teacher of the Year Award
The SCAVMA Teacher of the Year Award was also presented to Dr. Dean Schwartz, an associate professor of Physiology in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology.

Auburn’s Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association selects the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award, which recognizes an outstanding educator involved in the DVM curriculum.

“Dr. Schwartz, has proven time-and-time-again that he cares about his students,” said Carly Hubbard, SCAVMA president. “He is an amazing teacher, and takes the time to ensure students are getting the most from their education.”

Dr. Schwartz joined the Auburn CVM faculty in October, 1993. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Stonehill College and his Ph.D. from the University of Houston, College of Pharmacy. Dr. Schwartz’s postdoctoral training was carried out at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, where he was a fellow of the Hypertension Training Grant before obtaining funding from the American Heart Association Tennessee Affiliate and the National Institutes of Health.

Zoetis Distinguished Teaching Award
The Zoetis Distinguished Teaching Award was presented to Dr. Kendon W. Kuo, an assistant clinical professor of emergency and critical care in the Department of Clinical Sciences.

Dr. Kuo received his DVM degree from the University of California, Davis. He served an internship in Small Animal Medicine at Auburn, and a residency in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care and earned a master’s degree at Auburn.

“Dr. Kuo’s academic talents are remarkable and his enthusiasm and dedication toward educating veterinary students is truly a gift,” said Dr. Givens.

In his remarks upon being named award recipient, Dr. Kuo said, “I am honored and truly appreciative to receive this award. When I started veterinary school, this is not where I saw myself going, but now, sometimes I see myself more as a teacher than as a veterinarian.”

The Zoetis Distinguished Teacher Award was established to improve veterinary medical education by recognizing outstanding teachers, who, through their ability, dedication, character and leadership, contribute significantly to the advancement of the profession.

First presented in 1963 by Norden Laboratories, and following reorganization of various companies, Zoetis continues to honor outstanding veterinary educators.

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The College of Veterinary Medicine is the South’s oldest and nation’s seventh oldest veterinary medical program, celebrating 125 years. We prepare individuals for careers of excellence in veterinary medicine, including private and public practice, industrial medicine, academics, and research. The college provides programs of instruction, research, outreach, and service that are in the best interests of the citizens of the state of Alabama, the region, the nation, and the world.