The Academy of Educators, housed within the School of Medicine’s Office of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development, has recognized 27 faculty and trainee members with teaching awards.

The UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators (AOE) has established a number of teaching awards to recognize the importance of excellence in medical teaching, increase the prestige of great educators, and make teaching a more viable part of a faculty member’s academic career path.
The 2023 – 2024 recipients are:
Resident Educator Award
- Taylor Carter, MD, General Surgery
- Sydney Hendricks, MD, Pediatrics
Scholarship Award
- Fei Chen, Ph.D., M.Ed., Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
Educational Research Mentor Award
- Sofia Aliaga, MD, MPH, Professor, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Educational Mentor/ Advisor Award
- William Kwan, Jr., MD, Associate Professor, Medicine
- Olga Otter, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor Wellness Chair
Faculty Teaching Resident/Fellow Award
- Jonathan Heath, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine
High-Value Care Award
- John R. Stephens, MD, Professor, Medicine Associate Chief, Education and Faculty Development
Innovation in Biomedical Graduate Teaching Award
- Mara Evans, PhD, Associate Professor, STEM Teaching
Innovation in Teaching Award
- Jennifer Fuchs, MD, Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Foundation Phase Teaching Excellence Award
- Gina M. Donato, PhD, Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
- Megan Pruette, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Application/Individualization Phase Clinical Preceptor Excellence Award (Regional Campus Faculty)
- Elizabeth Acquista, MD, General Surgery, Surgical Critical Care (Wilmington)
- Rongrong Fan, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology (Asheville)
- William Ntim, MD, Cardiology (Charlotte)
- Zachary Pettigrew, MD, Pediatrics (Greensboro)
Application/Individualization Phase Clinical Preceptor Excellence in Teaching Award
- Russell Coletti, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Medicine
- Matthew Pizzuto, MD, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics Medical Director, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU)
Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program Distinguished Teaching Award
- Robert Nicholas, PhD, Professor & Vice Chair, Research and Education Pharmacology
Department of Health Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award
- Nancy Bagatell, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Division Director and Associate Professor, Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Craver Medical Student Teaching Award
- Jennifer Carr, MD, Assistant Professor, Surgery, Program Director, Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency, Director, Associate Program
Junior Faculty Award
- Shiva Zargham, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Director, Pediatric Residency Associate Program
Senior Faculty Award
- David Mayer, MD, FASA, Professor, Anesthesiology and Obstetrics & Gynecology
Medical Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professorship
- Evan Raff, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Physician Leader, MDH Direct Care Service, Physician Chair, Adult Rapid Response Committee
- Emily Vander Schaaf, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Education
- Marco Alemàn, MD, Professor, Medicine, Director, Comprehensive Advanced Medical Program of Spanish (CAMPOS)
- Karon Dawkins, MD, Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Vice Chair, Education, Director, General Psychiatry Residency Program
Each participant was honored at the annual Alan W. Cross Evening of Scholarship on May 16, 2024, by AOE Committee Chair Ana Felix, MD. Click here to read descriptions of the awards and learn more about the Academy of Educators.
If you have questions, please reach out to aoe@med.unc.edu.