DALLAS – June 22, 2018 – Cardiologist Dr. James de Lemos, Professor of Internal Medicine, and pediatrician Dr. Dorothy Sendelbach, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education at UT Southwestern, have been recognized with the UT System’s highest educational honor, the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards, for their academic prowess and mentoring talent.

With their selection as recipients of 2018 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards (ROTA), UT Southwestern now has more than 40 faculty who have been honored with the Regents Teaching Award, which recognizes outstanding teaching, mentoring and personal commitment to students and the learning process. 

“Both Dr. Sendelbach and Dr. de Lemos are exemplary scholars and educators, and we are truly delighted that the Board of Regents have recognized their commitment to our students and other learners. Their dedication and talents as teachers makes it possible for UT Southwestern to prepare the future physicians and scientists who will improve the health and well-being of our community and those beyond,” said Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, President of UT Southwestern Medical Center, who holds the Philip O’Bryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration, and the Doris and Bryan Wildenthal Distinguished Chair in Medical Science. 

Dr. Dorothy Sendelbach

Dr. Sendelbach, Professor of Pediatrics, has been extensively involved in UT Southwestern’s curriculum design, faculty development, and student mentorships, including serving as a student mentor in theFashena College since its inception.

“I have been on faculty at UTSW since 1993 and the opportunities to positively influence the education of future physicians, from bedside teaching and mentoring to curriculum development and educational administrative roles, have been the most meaningful and joyful work I get to do. The responsibility of developing the next generation of doctors is a privilege,” said Dr. Sendelbach, a member of theUT Southwestern Academy of Teachers who previously was elected to membership with the University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., Academy of Health Science Education (the SHINE Academy). “It’s a great honor to be selected as a ROTA recipient and be recognized for the work I do in education.”

Dr. Sendelbach completed her pediatric residency at UT Southwestern at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, and worked in a community clinic for refugees and the underserved prior to joining the faculty in 1993 as a general pediatrician in the Newborn Nursery.

Dr. James de Lemos

Dr. de Lemos, Professor of Internal Medicine, is a senior member of the Cardiology Division and senior investigator in the Dallas Heart Study who has served in multiple leadership roles since a joining the faculty in 2000.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” said Dr. de Lemos, who holds the Sweetheart Ball‐Kern Wildenthal, M.D., Ph.D. Distinguished Chair in Cardiology. “I’m personally grateful for all the teachers and mentors I had, and appreciative of the amazing trainees and students that who continue to make education the most rewarding aspect of my career.”

Dr. de Lemos, who served as Director of the Cardiology Fellowship at UT Southwestern from 2005 to 2011, has repeatedly received recognized for his educational expertise, including the Women in the Cardiology Mentoring Award (2017) from the American Heart Association, the L. David Hillis Teaching Award (2017) for fellowship teaching, the Core Clerkship Teaching Award at UT Southwestern (2011), the Internal Medicine Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching (2005), and the Soma Weiss Award Excellence in Teaching at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (1997). Dr. de Lemos completed his residency and served as Chief Resident at UT Southwestern. 

UT Southwestern’s academic excellence

UT Southwestern Medical Center, which this year is recognizing its 75th anniversary as an academic medical institution, includes three nationally recognized schools: UT Southwestern Medical School, UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and UT Southwestern School of Health Professions.

Along with providing medical school training, UT Southwestern offers more than 100 residency and fellowship programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and approximately 70 additional fellowship programs that are approved by the Texas Medical Board (TMB) and/or a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). With approximately 1,400 residents and fellows, UT Southwestern is one of the largest sponsors of Graduate Medical Education in the country. In addition, UT Southwestern provides continuing medical education (CME) courses to enhance the knowledge, skills, and professional development of individuals already involved in the practice of medicine more than 50,000.

UT Southwestern includes more than 1 million square feet of state-of-the-art research space and 34 core lab facilities and was recently was ranked the No. 1 academic medical center in the world for publishing high-quality scientific research, according to the Nature Index 2018 Annual Tables. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 22 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 15 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The faculty of more than 2,700 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments.

Recipients of the 2018 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award receive $25,000 in recognition of their commitment to student success and will be recognized Aug. 9 at a reception held in conjunction with the Board of Regents meeting in Austin. Over the last decade the award has been presented, Regents have awarded more than $19 million to 700 UT educators for delivering the highest quality of instruction in the classroom, lab, field, and online.

“We are indebted to these educators who exemplify great teaching on every level,” Board of Regents Chairman Sara Martinez Tucker said. “These are educators, researchers, and health care professionals who – no matter how long they’ve been teaching – never stop thinking about new and innovative ways to enhance the learning experience.”

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 22 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 15 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The faculty of more than 2,700 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients, 600,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 2.2 million outpatient visits a year.

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