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Congratulations to the four members of the Dunn School recognised in this year’s Teaching Excellence Awards

The University of Oxford’s Medical Science Division recently announced the winners of this year’s Teaching Excellence Awards, recognising excellence in teaching and supervision within a research-intensive environment. 21 individuals or projects were recognised this year, four of which awarded to Dunn School faculty.

Professor of Inflammation Biology and group leader David Greaves was recognised with a Major Educator Award for “his ongoing commitment to delivering high quality and innovative teaching” both before and during the pandemic. The award also recognises his strong support towards student career development throughout his career. David Greaves has been Director of the Principles of Pathology Course for more than 15 years and Director of Graduate Studies of the British Heart Foundation-Oxford Cardiovascular Sciences PhD programme since 2015. While expressing gratitude for his nomination and award, Professor Greaves commented: “For me, the best part about teaching is seeing students get excited about studying the mechanisms of disease.”

Professor Anton van der Merwe received a Lifetime Achievement Award for “his outstanding work in graduate recruitment and teaching”. The group leader was responsible for the restructuring of graduate studies at both departmental and divisional level, including playing a vital role in the creation of the first Graduate School at the University – The Medical Sciences Graduate School. Over the years, Anton has also campaigned to increase the access of under-represented students to post-graduate studies. Commenting on this award, Professor van der Merwe answered: “Managing graduate students is a huge team effort, and I see this award as recognition for all the work done by my wonderful colleagues, especially Lucinda, the Graduate Studies Committee and the Medical Sciences Graduate School. I also want to thank Herman Waldmann and Matthew Freeman for their enthusiastic support over two decades. We are fortunate to be able to attract such outstanding and enthusiastic graduate students, especially members of the Graduate Students Association, who have helped us continuously improve what we do.”

Dr Rachel Exley and Professor Chris Norbury were both recipients of an Excellent Teacher Award. Dr Exley has been involved in delivering and designing classes for medical students since 2012 and more recently for Biomedical Science students. During the pandemic, she worked tirelessly to adapt all the learning resources to an online format. In recognition of her contributions, Dr Exley was also appointed as Departmental Lecturer in 2020.

Professor Norbury is Deputy Director of Pre-Clinical Studies, as well as a Professor of Molecular Pathology at the Dunn School. Over the years, Chris has been repeatedly nominated by students for teaching awards. About his teaching experience, Professor Norbury advised: “It’s very heartening to see the value of teaching recognised in this way; I can honestly say that I’ve learned far more by teaching than I ever did as a student. I recommend the experience to anyone who is seriously interested in continuing their education.”

Professor Matthew Freeman, Head of Department said “I am thrilled to receive external confirmation of what many of us already know: that in teaching as well as research, the Dunn School is truly excellent. Congratulations to Rachel, Chris, David and Anton, as well as to everyone else who contributes so much to that excellence.”

Written by Joana Ferreira (Carvalho lab) @joanaverissimof