Samer Fakhri, MD, FACS, FRCS(C), is among the 2013 recipients of The University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards, offered annually in recognition of faculty at the nine academic and six health institutions that comprise the UT System. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Regents.
“My perspective on the attributes of an effective educator has evolved over the years,” Dr. Fakhri says. “This is based on feedback from learners I have the privilege of teaching, and also my own search, as a lifelong student of medicine, for effective learning and retention strategies. I believe the most avid learners make the most effective teachers. I am willing to step out of my comfort zone and open my horizons to new technology and innovative teaching strategies. I strive to create a learning environment that incites intellectual curiosity, challenges established dogma and triggers aspirations and dreams.”
The recognition carries a monetary award of $25,000, among the largest rewards in the nation for outstanding faculty performance. “We’re proud that Dr. Fakhri was recognized among those who have demonstrated extraordinary performance and innovation as a medical educator,” says Martin J. Citardi, MD, FACS, chief of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and professor and chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UTHealth Medical School. “Given the depth and breadth of talent across the UT System, the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards program is likely to be one of the nation’s most competitive awards of this type.”