Sharon Ackerman is one of six professors to receive the Wayne State University President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award recognizes faculty who have made outstanding contributions to teaching and includes a $2,500 honorarium.

Ackerman, of Farmington Hills, is an associate professor of surgery in the School of Medicine, teaches in virtually all of the School's venues - medical students, advanced biochemistry graduate students and the integrated graduate curriculum required of all first-year graduate students.

In addition, she volunteers in the post-baccalaureate medical course designed to help disadvantaged students prepare for medical school. In all these endeavors she consistently has been ranked as clearly outstanding, both in her effectiveness and in her commitment to teaching.

An acknowledged international expert in her field, Ackerman is well funded by the National Institutes of Health and consistently publishes in the best journals. Students appreciate her expertise and particularly note the organization and clarity of her lecture notes, complimenting her year after year.

Colleagues note that Ackerman "projects sincerity and interest indeed because she is genuinely concerned for students' education and welfare." In the last four years she has trained a number of students at the graduate and undergraduate levels; several of those students have published in reputable biochemistry journals. She also serves as an examiner on numerous doctoral student committees, both in and outside WSU.

Ackerman holds a bachelor's degree in zoology from George Washington University and master's and doctoral degrees from New York University.