Wayne State University School of Medicine Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences Juliann Binienda, Ph.D., received the WSU President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at the annual Academic Recognition ceremony held April 25 at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center.
The award recognizes faculty members who make outstanding contributions to teaching. Since 1977, 268 WSU faculty members have been recognized for their teaching with these awards.
She was nominated by Dean Jack D. Sobel, M.D.; Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences Professor and Chair Tsveti Markova, M.D.; and the Department of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development. In addition, M.D./M.P.H Class of 2019 students Nicholas Cook, Daniel Kaisler, Lydia Lanni and Blake Sanford wrote a collaborative letter supporting the nomination.
“Her commitment to our education has allowed us not just to pass our way through both programs, but to excel, both in our M.D. coursework and clinical rotations, and our M.P.H. classroom and work and practical experiences. She certainly cares about our success and well-being, and is committed to staying connected with us,” they wrote. “Because of her passion for public health, especially as it complements medical practice, her skill in the classroom, her ability to engage students through real-world applications of concepts, and her dedication to each of our education professional development, Dr. Binienda is an extraordinary faculty member.”
Dr. Binienda is a valued contributor to the field of public health and higher education, teaching medical students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows while also assisting other faculty pursuing public health education and research. She designed a diverse set of teaching strategies using co-curricular interactions, active classroom engagement activities and innovative community practice models to accelerate understanding causal pathways and methods for reducing health disparity. Dr. Binienda also has extensive experience in directing several graduate school, medical school and faculty development programs and courses.
“It’s an honor and a pleasure to be recognized for something I am truly passionate about. I am grateful to my Department of Family Medicine and Public Health colleagues and my chair, Dr. Tsveti Markova, for nominating me. My enthusiasm for teaching remains strong and I commit to innovation in my teaching and responsiveness to students,” she said.
Dr. Binienda has been with the School of Medicine for 25 years.