New Members
UT Southwestern Academy of Teachers adds seven new members
The UT Southwestern Academy of Teachers (SWAT) has named seven outstanding educators to its latest class of inductees: James Cutrell, M.D., Thomas Dalton, M.D., David R. Karp, M.D., Ph.D., Kevin Klein, M.D., Dan Sepdham, M.D., and Jason Zafereo, M.P.T., Ph.D.
SWAT members are recognized as educators who strive to provide an academic and organizational environment that fosters excellence in teaching at all levels, rewards superb teachers, stimulates innovation in education, and promotes scholarship in education.
“SWAT is proud to welcome these new members for 2021,” said Dr. Pearson, President of SWAT. “They have already demonstrated their talents in education across campus, whether at the UT Southwestern Medical School, Graduate School, or School of Health Professions. We look forward, as does the entire campus, to learning and growing with them in pursuing the UT Southwestern mission of excellence in education.”
SWAT members are nominated by Deans, Center Directors, Department Chairs, and current Academy members, with membership based on sustained excellence in one or more areas: teaching, instructional development and curricular design, advising and mentoring, educational administration and leadership, and educational research. Members have at least seven years of teaching experience at UT Southwestern and actively participate in ongoing SWAT-related activities. An induction celebration is planned at the SWAT Educational Symposium in 2022.
Here are more details about the Class of 2021 inductees:
Dr. Cutrell is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Program Director of the Adult Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine fellowships. In both 2015 and 2018, he received the Infectious Diseases Divisional faculty teaching awards.
He is also the Medical Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship program at UTSW and currently serves on UTSW’s COVID-19 Recovery of Operations Committee and COVID-19 Vaccine Scientific Review Committee. In addition, he is an inaugural member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Medical Education Community of Practice Executive Committee and serves as President of the Texas ID Society.
“An educator should be curious about how they can tackle new questions or do things better, never satisfied with the status quo. This insatiable curiosity leads to the creation and acquisition of new knowledge that can then be disseminated to move the educational field forward,” Dr. Cutrell said. “Second, an educator should also be humble, recognizing that they can always improve and that they should learn from the best practices of others by modifying behavior to reflect new knowledge and insight.”
Dr. Dalton is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine. His clinical interests center on acute care of the older adult, perioperative care for older adults undergoing elective surgery, and building interprofessional teams to help older adults and their families navigate the health care system.
“Teaching, for me, is about sparking the desire to learn as much or more than telling learners what they need to know,” Dr. Dalton said. “The best learning happens when the motivation to learn comes from within and the role of the teacher becomes one of facilitation.”
Dr. Dalton’s work within the Academic Colleges – as a Mentor and now as Director – has been his most rewarding.
“Building, evaluating, and improving a curriculum focused on clinical skills and professional development is immensely fulfilling, and seeing students buy in and strive for excellence constantly renews my own sense of purpose,” he said. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to work with other passionate teachers on our campus within SWAT to fulfill the education mission of UT Southwestern.”
Dr. Karp is Professor of Internal Medicine, Chief of the Rheumatic Diseases Division, and a leader in the Center for Translational Medicine. He also directs a multicenter, National Institutes of Health-supported clinical trial involving anti-malarial therapy to prevent lupus in people at risk for the disease.
After 30-plus years at UTSW, he views the best part of his job as teaching medical students, residents, and rheumatology fellows.
“I get to experience all facets of undergraduate and graduate medical education,” Dr. Karp explained. “As a Sprague College Mentor, I work with medical students from Day One at UT Southwestern until graduation. I get to introduce our residents to the great field of rheumatology and hope to recruit some of them into our specialty. As the current President of the American College of Rheumatology, I am immensely proud of the fact that our rheumatology fellowship is one of the most sought after in the country. It is a great honor to be recognized by the Southwestern Academy of Teachers.”
Dr. Klein is Professor of Anesthesiology & Pain Management and Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. He also serves as Councilor for the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and on the Student Promotions Committee and, in 2018, he received the Leaders in Clinical Excellence Institutional Service Award.
A past President of the Dallas County Medical Society, he said the highlight of his presidency was delivering the Hippocratic oath to the UT Southwestern Class of 2019.
“What an honor it is to be inducted into the Southwestern Academy of Teachers! I have been at UT Southwestern my entire medical career, so this is home, and it is indeed heartwarming to be acknowledged by my family of teachers,” Dr. Klein said. “I am an anesthesiologist and teach medical students while caring for patients undergoing surgery. My goal as a teacher is to have patients, surgeons, and nurses all feel their experience is enriched because a medical student was involved.”
Dr. Sepdham is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Academics in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He also is the Site Director for the Southwestern Health Resources residency track at Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.
Initially, he had no interest in pursuing a career in academia and spent six years as a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon.
“Ofttimes, however, life takes you places you never thought you would go. While I consider it an honor to have cared for those who defend our nation, it is an equally profound privilege to participate in the formation of tomorrow’s physicians,” Dr. Sepdham said. “I am grateful to have been accepted into the Southwestern Academy of Teachers, and I hope my contributions enable many others to achieve their dreams. John G. Kemeny said: ‘It is the greatest achievement of a teacher to enable his students to surpass him.’ This is my hope for all those I teach.”
Dr. Zafereo is an Associate Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Physical Therapy. He is part of the interdisciplinary team performing clinical care and research at the Eugene McDermott Center for Pain Management at UTSW, and he teaches in the professional doctorate and post-professional residency programs in physical therapy.
“The single most important reason why I teach is to contribute to the development of my students and profession,” Dr. Zafereo said. “Teaching has afforded me many opportunities and honors for which I am grateful, including leadership roles in the Academy of Physical Therapy Education, receipt of teaching awards from my Department and school, and, most recently, election to the Southwestern Academy of Teachers. But what gives me my greatest sense of joy and fulfillment as a teacher is seeing students develop to their maximum potential, especially those who may have needed additional guidance along the way. As mentors and role models, teachers truly can change students’ lives, and I am humbled and honored to have been gifted with this incredible privilege and responsibility.”