Neeral L. Shah, MD, an associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, is one of nine University of Virginia faculty members to receive a 2016 All-University Teaching Award. The awards were presented at a banquet on April 27th.
Gastroenterology division chief Steven Cohn called Dr. Shah an “outstanding educator” and said, “I can think of no one more deserving of such an honor.” Department of Medicine chair Mitch Rosner echoed that sentiment, saying Shah “continues to set the highest example for all educators, and his dedication to students, residents and fellows is unparalleled.”
His nominators stressed that Shah taught them the importance of a physician’s bedside manner and of establishing rapport with patients. “He takes concepts out of the book and applies them to patients,” one student wrote.
“His passion for teaching elevates everyone around him,” wrote a colleague — a passion manifested both in his pedagogical role, and in his commitment to administrative service. Shah, who has been at UVA for eight years, serves as associate program director of DOM’s Internal Medicine Residency Program, and also oversees the division’s transplant hepatology fellowship. He helped develop the latest redesigned pre-clerkship curriculum for the first two years of medical school, and is a member of the Committee on Residency Education (CORE).
Dr. Shah’s career as an educator has been recognized with numerous honors, including:
- Alpha Omega Alpha Brodie Teachers’ Teacher Award (2015)
- UVA School of Medicine Mulholland Award for Teaching Excellence and Professionalism (2013, 2015)
- Herbert S. Waxman Award for Outstanding Medical Educator, American College of Physicians (2014)
- Academy of Educators, American Gastroenterological Associates (2013)
- Academy of Distinguished Educators, University of Virginia (2012)
- Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence, UVA School of Medicine (2012)
More at: “UVA’s Top Teachers Beloved as Role Models” (UVA Today, 4/27/16).
Filed Under: Notable Achievements