Teaching Award Winners
John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher Award
The John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher Award winner is presented each academic year to an educator from each of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston component schools. The faculty member who earns the award embodies excellence in teaching.
The award recognizes excellence in teaching based on knowledge of the subject, interest and enthusiasm for teaching, understanding of students, responsiveness to student inquiries, encouragement of independent thinking and accessibility to students.
| YEAR | RECIPIENTS |
|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | Kimberly Smith, PhD |
| 2022-2023 | Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, PhD |
| 2021-2022 | Robert Murphy, MD |
| 2020-2021 | Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, PhD |
| 2019-2020 | Kimberly Smith, PhD |
| 2018-2019 | Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, PhD |
| 2017-2018 | Angela Ross, DNP, MPH |
| 2016-2017 | Todd Johnson, PhD |
| 2015-2016 | Sahiti Myneni, PhD, MSE |
| 2014-2015 | Kimberly Smith, PhD |
| 2013-2014 | Yang Gong, MD, PhD |
| 2012-2013 | Trevor Cohen, MBChB, PhD |
| 2011-2012 | Juliana J. Brixey, RN, PhD |
| 2010-2011 | Madurai Sriram Iyengar, PhD |
| 2009-2010 | Dean Forrest Sittig, PhD |
| 2008-2009 | Paul T. Macklin |
| 2007-2008 | Stefan Birmanns, PhD |
| 2006-2007 | Willy Wriggers, PhD |
| 2005-2006 | Kimberly Dunn, MD, PhD |
| 2004-2005 | Elmer V. Bernstam, MD, MSE |
| 2003-2004 | Wily R. Wriggers, PhD |
| 2002-2003 | Cynthia L. Phelps, PhD |
| 2001-2002 | Jiajie Zhang, PhD |
| 2000-2001 | Kathy Johnson, PhD |
| 1999-2000 | James P. Turley, PhD |
| 1998-1999 | Craig W. Johnson, PhD |
Dean’s Excellence Award
The Dean’s Excellence award was first established and awarded in 2019. It is given annually and acknowledges McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics faculty members for exceptional performance in various categories.
The measurement for this performance considers achievements like high impact publications, novel course development, and innovative projects in applied domains.
| YEAR | RECIPIENTS |
|---|---|
| 2021-2022 Winners: | |
| Outstanding Faculty Member – Xiaoqian Jiang, PhD | |
| Research – Zhongming Zhao, PhD | |
| Teaching – Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, PhD | |
| Innovation – James Langabeer II, PhD, EdD | |
| Outstanding Service – Deevakar Rogith, PhD | |
| 2019-2020 Winners: | |
| Research – James Langabeer II, PhD, EdD | |
| Teaching – Angela Ross, DNP and Debora Simmons, PhD | |
| Innovation – Amy Franklin, PhD, Sahiti Myneni, PhD, MSE and Deevakar Rogith, PhD | |
| 2018-2019 Winners: | |
| Research – Luca Giancardo, PhD | |
| Teaching – Kimberly Smith, PhD | |
| Innovation – Xiaoqian Jiang, PhD | |
President’s Award for Leadership
The President’s Awards for Leadership were established in 2006 in honor of the late Michael Jimenez, former vice president and chief human resources officer at UTHealth Houston, based on the qualities of leadership that he embodied: the consistent demonstration of leadership through service, compassion, and ethical standards.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| 2023 - 2024: | |
| Jiajie Zhang, PhD (Outstanding Faculty) | |
President’s Scholar Awards for Excellence
This award of excellence is presented annually by President Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston). The President’s Scholar Awards are unique University-wide awards designed to recognize faculty with demonstrated contributions in teaching, research, clinical activity, dedication, and service, throughout their careers at UTHealth Houston.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| 2023 - 2024: | |
| Zhongming Zhao, PhD, MS (Research) | |
| 2020 - 2021: | |
| Susan Fenton, PhD (Teaching) | |
| 2001 - 2002: | |
| Jim Turley, PhD (Teaching) | |
Regents' Outstanding Teaching Awards (ROTA)
In 2008, the University of Texas System Board of Regents established the annual Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards program to honor extraordinary classroom performance and innovation. Each recipient receives a certificate, a medallion, and $25,000 in appreciation of their impact on students and their institutions.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| UT System (ROTA): | |
| Susan Fenton, PhD – 2019 Awardee | |
| M. Sriram Iyengar, PhD – 2014 Awardee | |
| Muhammad Walji, PhD – 2012 Awardee | |
AMIA Signature Awards
The AMIA Signature Awards program provides an opportunity for AMIA members at different stages of their career to be recognized for significant contributions or achievements in informatics. There are eight unique awards and each has just one winner per year.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| AMIA Signature Awardees: | |
| Licong Cui, PhD (2022 - AMIA New Investigator Award) | |
| Hongfang Liu, PhD (2022 - Donald A.B. Lindberg Award for Innovation in Informatics) | |
| Dean Sittig, PhD (2023 - Don Eugene Detmer Award for Health Policy Contributions in Informatics) | |
American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI) Fellows
This group of elected fellows includes professionals who are recognized for their significant and sustained contributions to the field of biomedical informatics. ACMI Fellows are eligible to use the designation FACMI and membership is open to informaticians across the globe.
The measurement for this performance considers achievements like high impact publications, novel course development, and innovative projects in applied domains.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| ACMI Fellows: | |
| Elmer Bernstam, MD, MSE (2010) | |
| John Glaser, PhD (1995, adjunct professor) | |
| Xiaoqian Jiang, PhD (2023) | |
| Hongfang Liu, PhD (2016) | |
| Kirk Roberts, PhD (2023) | |
| Michael Shabot, MD (1991, adjunct professor) | |
| Dean Sittig, PhD (1992) | |
| Cui Tao, PhD (2018, adjunct professor) | |
| Stephen Wong, PhD (2023, adjunct professor) | |
| Hua Xu, PhD (2014, adjunct professor) | |
| Jiajie Zhang, PhD (2003) | |
| Zhongming Zhao, PhD (2021) | |
| Degui Zhi, PhD, MS (2024) | |
| Xiaobo Zhou, PhD (2024) | |
Fellows of AMIA (FAMIA)
Individuals who receive this distinction are recognized AMIA members who apply informatics skills and knowledge within their professional setting. Fellows also demonstrate professional achievement and leadership during their sustained commitment to the betterment of AMIA.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| Fellows of AMIA: | |
| Elmer Bernstam, MD, MSE (2022) | |
| Juliana Brixey, PhD, MPH, RN (2023) | |
| Jorge Ferrer, MD, MBA (2018, Adjunct Assistant Professor) | |
| Susan Fenton, PhD (2022) | |
| Todd Johnson, PhD (2022) | |
| Robert Murphy, MD (2021) | |
| Anwar Sirajuddin, MBBS, MS, CPHIMS (2023; Alumnus & Adjunct Assistant Professor) | |
| Dean Sittig, PhD (2019) | |
| Jiajie Zhang, PhD (2020) | |
| Zhongming Zhao, PhD (2022) | |
Fellow Member of HIMSS (FHIMSS)
This honor is bestowed in recognition of a Fellow’s service, professional participation, job experience, publications, and presentations. Members demonstrate their commitment to transforming global health and wellness. Additionally, they are recognized as elite contributors to HIMSS and to the global health information and technology community.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| Fellow Member of HIMSS: | |
| Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, PhD (2021) | |
Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN)
The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) serve the public by advancing health policy through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Academy Fellows are inducted into the organization for their extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally as they represent nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing: | |
| Angela Ross, DNP (2024) | |
| Debora Simmons, PhD (2015) | |
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Fellows
The American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is the highest professional distinction accorded to a medical and biological engineer. The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering and medicine research, practice, or education” and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education."
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| Fellows of AIMBE: | |
| Jiajie Zhang, PhD (2025) | |
| Degui Zhi, PhD, MS (2025) | |
| Zhongming Zhao, PhD (2023) | |
| Xiaobo Zhou, PhD (2023) | |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows
American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows are a distinguished cadre of scientists, engineers, and innovators who have been recognized for their achievements across disciplines, from research, teaching, and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| Fellows of AAAS: | |
| Jiajie Zhang, PhD (2023) | |
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Winners
The PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. Two members of the McWilliams community have been named recipients of this prestigious award.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| PECASE Awardees: | |
| Cui Tao, PhD (2014, Adjunct Professor) | |
| Muhammad Walji, PhD (2013) | |
International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (IAHSI) Fellows
The Academy serves as an honor society that recognizes expertise in biomedical and health informatics internationally. Academy Membership is one of the highest honors in the international field of biomedical and health informatics.
| RECIPIENTS | |
|---|---|
| IAHSI Fellows: | |
| Yang Gong, MD, PhD (2021) | |
| Xiaoqian Jiang, PhD (2023) | |
| Dean Sittig, PhD (2017) | |
| Hua Xu, PhD (2023, adjunct professor) | |
| Jiajie Zhang, PhD (2020) | |
Updated: 4/2/2025