Faculty Senate | UC Davis School of Medicine

School of Medicine Faculty Senate

4.2212 Duties and Responsibilities

The Faculty Executive Committee shall consider all matters of general concern to the Faculty. Bring before the Faculty any recommendations generated by it, by the other Standing Committees and by Special Committees of the Faculty. Make recommendations to the Faculty concerning the disposition of existing or new departments and organized divisions into groups defined in Article 4.0. Circulate to the Faculty all important motions at least two days in advance of the regular meeting of the Faculty. Act for the Faculty within the Bylaws and Regulations of the Faculty of the School of Medicine (PDF). All actions taken on behalf of the Faculty shall be reported to the Faculty at the next meeting. Appoint ad hoc committees as necessary.

The standing subcommittees of FEC include the:

  • Admissions Committee
  • Committee for Research Affairs
  • Committee on Committees
  • Committee on Educational Policy
  • Committee on Faculty Affairs
  • Committee on Honors and Awards
  • Committee on Student Promotions

Annual Faculty Awards

There are five faculty award categories overseen by the Committee on Honors and Awards and the Committee on Research Affairs. The nomination period is open annually, between November - February/April (depending on the award). Full details on each award are available below.

The C. John Tupper Prize for Excellence in Teaching, is the highest teaching award given by the School of Medicine. Created by the founding dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, this award is intended to recognize significant contributors to education. 

The award is given by the School of Medicine for the educational contributions of a faculty member over a period of a career. The successful candidates may be characterized by a trajectory of sustained significant recognitions and /or may have been previously recognized (e.g, teaching awards) for their contributions to medical education at UC Davis School of Medicine. Since one of the important factors in the selection is that the awardee is widely recognized as an outstanding teacher, the Committee on Honors and Awards welcomes nominations from multiple constituencies, such as faculty, students, and staff.

Among the criteria used to judge nominees are:

  • command of the subject matter and the ability to relate it to the students and/or housestaff
  • ability to stimulate thought
  • ability to teach students and/or housestaff how to learn so they can develop an independent program of sustained learning
  • contribution to improved teaching
  • concern for the education and welfare of the students and/or housestaff
  • advising and mentoring
  • facilitating the educational experience of students and/or housestaff

Candidates may come from either clinical or basic science as well as administrative faculty within the School of Medicine. Teaching may include design of curricula in which the learning of all students is enhanced by sustained input into curricular development through contributions of time and skills.

Pre-proposal nomination letters of no more than two pages are being solicited from the faculty, alumni, staff, and students, and should describe the nominee’s qualifications, particularly those that set the candidate apart as a distinguished educator. Please include a Curriculum Vitae, teaching evaluations, contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion, and other pertinent documents. After a preliminary review, full nomination packets will be requested for the top nominees for consideration by the Committee on Honors and Awards.

Nomination submissions for the 2024 award are expected between November 2023 - February 2024.

Please send or email to:

Lao Thao
Office of Medical Education
School of Medicine
University of California, Davis
4610 X St., Suite 2101D
Sacramento, CA 95817
Tel: 916-734-3530
email: lythao@ucdavis.edu

The recipient of the C. John Tupper Prize for Excellence in Teaching will receive a plaque and a monetary honorarium, with announcement and presentation at the School of Medicine’s annual Senior and Faculty Awards Dinner.

Previous Award Recipients

2023 Melody Hou, M.D., M.P.H. and Jennifer Plant, M.D., M.Ed.
2022 Mark Henderson, M.D., M.A.C.P.
2021 Heike Wulff, Ph.D.
2020 Ted Wun, M.D., F.A.C.P.
2019 John Richards, M.D., F.A.A.E.M., F.R.S.M.
2018 Karnjit K. Johl, M.D, F.A.C.P.
2017 Richard A. Marder, M.D.
2016 Thomas N. Blankenship, Ph.D.
2015 Colleen Sweeney, Ph.D.
2014 Anthony F. Jerant, M.D.
2013 Michael S. Wilkes, M.D., Ph.D.
2012 Lavjay Butani, M.D.
2011 James E. Goodnight, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
2010 Mary K. Miller, Pharm. D., M.D.
2009 Mark Servis, M.D.
2008 Regina Gandour-Edwards, M.D.
2007 Richard Tucker, Ph.D.
2006 Douglas Gross, M.D., Ph.D.
2005 Vijaya Kumari, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
2004 Stuart Cohen, M.D.
2003 Paul G. Fitzgerald, Ph.D.
2002 Ezra Amsterdam, M.D.
2001 John Anderson, M.D.
2000 James Holcroft, M.D.
1999 Arun Rangaswami, M.D.
1998 David H. Wisner, M.D.
1997 John T. Owings, M.D.
1996 Faith T. Fitzgerald, M.D.
1995 James Holcroft, M.D.
1994 F. William Blaisdell, M.D.

The Hibbard Williams Award for Extraordinary Achievement recognizes contributions made to the School of Medicine’s mission that do not fall clearly into the categories of either teaching or research. This award recognizes a broad range of contributions such as public service, academic achievements that bring distinction to the university, raising its profile at a national or international level, etc. These contributions may be either singular in nature, or they may represent a long-term achievement in a particular arena. Above all, the contribution(s) must be truly exceptional. As such, the award may not be given every year, or may, on occasion, be awarded to more than one individual in a single year. Recipients of this award receive it only once. 

This award requires a 1- to 2-page pre-proposal nomination that summarizes the candidate's accomplishments, trajectory, contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion, and curriculum vitae. The Committee on Honors and Awards will consider all nominations. Those appearing to be of sufficient merit will trigger a request for more documentation from each of the nominators. Because the nature of the nominees’ contributions will vary, the exact nature of the documentation will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Pre-proposal nominations may be submitted to the Committee on Honors and Awards at any time; those received after the deadline will be considered in the next awards cycle. 

Nomination submissions for the 2024 award are expected between November 2023 - February 2024.

Please send or email to:

Lao Thao
Office of Medical Education
School of Medicine
University of California, Davis
4610 X St., Suite 2101D
Sacramento, CA 95817
Tel: 916-734-3530
email: lythao@ucdavis.edu

The recipient will be selected by the Committee on Honors and Awards with consultation from the Dean of the School of Medicine and announced at the School of Medicine’s annual Senior and Faculty Awards Dinner. This award is a plaque and monetary honorarium.

Previous Award Recipients

2023 Craig McDonald, M.D.
2022 Timothy Albertson, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. and Randi Hagerman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
2021 Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D. and Diana L. Farmer, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S.
2020 Nathan Kuppermann, M.D., M.P.H.
2019 Sally Rogers, Ph.D.
2018 Klea Bertakis, M.D., M.P.H.
2017 Reen Wu, Ph.D.
2016 Frederick J. Meyers, M.D., M.A.C.P.
2015 Thomas S. Nesbitt, M.D., M.P.H. and Joseph Silva, Jr., M.D., M.A.C.P.
2014 Mark J. Mannis, M.D.
2013 Kit S. Lam, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P.
2012 J. Nilas Young, M.D.
2011 Douglas S. Gross, M.D., Ph.D.
2010 Ezra Amsterdam, M.D. and David G. Greenhalgh, M.D., F.A.C.S.
2009 Fitz-Roy Curry, Ph.D.
2008 Robert Hales, M.D., M.B.A. and Amparo Villablanca, M.D.
2007 Neil Flynn, M.D.
2006 Faith Fitzgerald, M.D.

Since 1975, the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals have supported annual awards for excellence in teaching at the UC Davis School of Medicine and affiliated hospitals. Faculty recipients receive a plaque and a generous monetary award of $1,200 each. 

There are three awards presented annually at the Senior and Faculty Awards Banquet: 

  • An award to a full-time faculty member in a basic science department.
  • An award to a full-time faculty member in a clinical science department.
  • An award to a member of the volunteer clinical professor (VCP) in a clinical science department.
  • The VCP consists of physicians, usually in private practice, who has voluntarily donated their time and skills to assist in medical education at the UC Davis Medical Center, VA Hospital, and other affiliated hospitals. 

Undergraduate medical students, residents, and full-time faculty members are eligible to make nominations in one or more of the award categories.  

Characteristics to be considered in making nominations should include enthusiasm, sincere interest in and willingness to help students and residents, ability to motivate learning, quality of lectures and teaching aids, contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion, quality of clinical (bedside) teaching, and (where appropriate) the demonstrated ability to serve as a model clinician. 

These preliminary nominations are limited to all faculty members with a record of sustained excellence (>3 years) in all phases of teaching medical students. The top three nominees in each category will be placed on a ballot and resubmitted to the students. A faculty member who has received this award in the past four years is not eligible. The recipients for the last four years are listed as follows:

Recent Award Recipients

Year Basic Science Clinical Science Volunteer Clinical Faculty
2023 Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, M.D. Shubha Ananthakrishnan, M.D. Ronald Jan, M.D.
2022 Hana Anderson, Ph.D. Rachael Lucatorto, M.D. Julie Westberg, M.D.
2020 Colleen Sweeney, Ph.D. Melody Hou, M.D., M.P.H.  Jeffrey Skilling, M.D.

The generosity of the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals permits us to recognize the teaching contributions of our faculty, please carefully consider responding to this request for nominees. Nominators may nominate one candidate in each of the three categories, but nominating an individual in every category is not required. If a nominee is listed in an incorrect category by mistake, their name will be moved to the correct category. 

The 2024 nomination form will be available here in January.

The combined nominees received will be submitted to the student body for election of awardees in each category. 

Nomination submissions for the 2024 award are expected between January - March 2024.

Submit the complete form to: Committee on Honors and Awards (Attn. Lao Thao), email: lythao@ucdavis.edu 

The Joan Oettinger Memorial Award is in honor of Joan Oettinger who was a UC Davis graduate student who died of lung cancer in July 1970. Her husband, Martin, was a senior lecturer in economics at UC Davis before his death in 1986. This award is presented annually during the UC Davis School of Medicine Spring General Faculty Meeting.

Nomination Process:

  1. The Joan Oettinger Memorial Award has been established in the UC Davis School of Medicine and will be given to a person or persons doing outstanding research in lung or cancer disease.
  2. The award includes a stipend of $1,200 and a certificate.
  3. Faculty, residents, and students are invited to submit the names of UC Davis School of Medicine faculty members or students they consider deserving of this award.
  4. If the nominee is a student, documentation should be provided in the form of a manuscript and personal statements by the student and preceptor of the significance of the work. The extent of the student's participation should be clearly stated. If the nominee is a faculty member, please include a curriculum vitae and additional supporting data which will assist in the Committee's evaluation.

Nominations must be submitted electronically as one PDF packet and include the following:

  1. Nomination form (will be available here in January 2024)
  2. Statement not to exceed 500 words listing accomplishments that qualify the candidate for this award
  3. Nominee's curriculum
  4. Any supporting data that you feel will assist in the evaluation (reprints, reviews, etc.)

Nomination submissions for the 2024 award are expected between January - April 2024.

Submit the completed packet electronically to: the Committee on Research Affairs, email: HS-FEC@ucdavis.edu

Previous Award Recipients

2023 William Murphy, Ph.D. Dermatology, Internal Medicine
2022 Arta Monjazeb, M.D., Ph.D. Radiation Oncology
2020 David Cooke, M.D. Internal Medicine
2020 Diana Miglioretti, Ph.D. Internal Medicine
2018 Angela Haczku, M.D., Ph.D. Internal Medicine
2017 Tzipora Goldkorn, Ph.D. Internal Medicine
2016 Kermit Carraway, Ph.D. Biological Chemistry and Molecular Medicine
2015 Primo Lara Jr., M.D. Internal Medicine
2014 Amir Zeki, M.D. Internal Medicine
2014 Michael Schivo, M.D. Internal Medicine
2013 Joshua Fenton, M.D, Ph.D. Family and Community Medicine
2012 Nicholas Kenyon, M.D. Internal Medicine
2011 Susanna Park, M.D., Ph.D. Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
2010 Hongwu Chen, Ph.D. Biological Chemistry and Molecular Medicine
2009 Scott Hundahl, M.D. Surgery
2008 Su Hao Lo, Ph.D. Biological Chemistry and Molecular Medicine
2007 Richart Harper, M.D. Internal Medicine
2006 Hsing-Jien Kung, Ph.D. Biological Chemistry and Molecular Medicine
2005 Fu-Tong Liu, M.D., Ph.D. Dermatology
2004 Robert Weiss, M.D. Internal Medicine
2003 Susan Murin, M.D. Internal Medicine
2002 Paul Gumerlock, Ph.D. Internal Medicine
2001 Derick Lau, M.D. Internal Medicine
2000 Gerald DeNardo, M.D. Radiology
2000 Sally DeNardo, M.D. Internal Medicine
1999 Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
1998 David Gandara, M.D. Internal Medicine
1995 Jesse Joad, M.D. Pediatrics
1993 Reen Wu, Ph.D. Internal Medicine
1992 John Keltner, M.D. Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
1991 Ralph deVere White, M.D. Urology
1990 Anthony Cheung, Ph.D. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
1989 Frederick Meyers, M.D. Internal Medicine
1988 E. Eric Gershwin, M.D. Internal Medicine
1987 Jerry Lewis, M.D.  
1986 Robert Rucker, M.D.  
1985 Lucien Jacobs, M.B.B.S.  
1984 Karen Reiser, M.D. Neurological Surgery
1983 Jerold Last, Ph.D. Internal Medicine
1980 Demosthenes Pappagianis, M.D., Ph.D. Medical Microbiology and Immunology
1979 Jerold Last, Ph.D. Internal Medicine
1978 Elliott Goldstein, M.D.  
1977 Carroll Cross, M.D. Physiology and Membrane Biology

The School of Medicine Research Award is given to a School of Medicine faculty member in recognition of outstanding contributions to biomedical science and medicine through laboratory or clinical research. The awardee will receive an award of $350 and $15,000 for support of a research fellow. Candidates will be evaluated by the Committee for Research Affairs.

Nomination Process:

  1. Nominations may be made by any member of the UC Davis School of Medicine.
  2. Any member of the Academic Federation or Academic Senate of the UC Davis School of Medicine may be nominated.
  3. The award may be made to more than one person, and more than one individual may be nominated.
  4. The Committee for Research Affairs may refrain from making an award in any given year if no nominee’s research is considered deserving of the award.
  5. The award can recognize either a single achievement or an accumulated career of excellence. However, no person may receive more than one award for the same research category.
  6. The outstanding research must have occurred during the nominee’s tenure at UC Davis School of Medicine.
  7. Individuals not selected for the award may be nominated again in succeeding years.
  8. The award will be presented at the Spring General Faculty Meeting. 

Nominations must be submitted electronically as one PDF packet and include the following:

  1. Nomination Form (will be available here in January 2024)
  2. Statement not to exceed 500 words listing accomplishments that qualify the candidate for the award
  3. Nominee's curriculum
  4. Any supporting data that you feel will assist in the evaluation (reprints, reviews, etc.)
  5. Four reference names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of distinguished researchers in the nominee’s area who can be consulted (If possible, one or two should be UC Davis faculty members, and other nationally or internationally distinguished)

Nomination submissions for the 2024 award are expected between January - April 2024.

Submit the completed packet electronically to: the Committee on Research Affairs, email: HS-FEC@ucdavis.edu

Previous Award Recipients

2023 Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, M.D.
2023 Ramsey Badawi, Ph.D.
2018 Fred Meyers, M.D., M.A.C.P.
2018 Charles DeCarli, M.D., Ph.D.
2017 Diana Miglioretti, Ph.D.
2016 William Murphy, Ph.D.
2016 Nathan Kuppermann, M.D.
2015 Charles Bevins, Ph.D.
2014 Alice Tarantal, Ph.D.
2013 Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Ph.D., M.P.H.
2013 Andreas Baumler, Ph.D.
2012 Donald Bers, Ph.D.
2011 Ralph deVere White, M.B.B.Ch., B.A.O.
2011 Paul Hagerman, M.D., Ph.D.
2010 Ezra Amsterdam, M.D.
2008 Sally Rogers, Ph.D.
2007 Ebenezer Yamaoah, M.D.
2006 Kit Lam, Ph.D.
2005 Garen Wintemute, M.D.
2005 Hsing-Jien Kung, Ph.D.
2004 Randi Hagerman, M.D.
2004 Anthony Cheung, Ph.D.
2002 Saul Schaefer, M.D.
2001 John Boone, Ph.D.
2000 Hanspeter Witsch, M.D.
1999 Marc Kaufman, Ph.D.
1998 Irwin Feinberg, M.D.
1997 Richard Kravitz, M.D.
1996 Reen Wu, Ph.D.
1994 Eugene Renkin, Ph.D.
1993 Blaine Beaman, Ph.D.
1992 Richard Chole, M.D., Ph.D.
1991 Stanley Meizel, Ph.D.
1990 Jerold Last, Ph.D.
1989 Fitz-Roy Curry, Ph.D.
1988 Robert Cardiff, M.D., Ph.D.
1987 Charles Halsted, M.D.
1986 Vincent Ziboh, M.D.
1985 M. Eric Gershwin, M.D.
1984 Murray Gardner, M.D.
1983 Donald Walsh, Ph.D.
1980 John Hershey, Ph.D.
1979 Carroll Cross, M.D.
1979 M. Eric Gershwin, M.D.
1978 Dean Mason, M.D.
1977 Eliezer Benjamini, Ph.D.
1977 Charles Abidgaard, M.D.
1976 Robert Traut, Ph.D.

Faculty Committee Officers 2023-2024
  • Manuel Navedo, Ph.D.
    Chair

    Manuel Navedo, Ph.D.

    Pharmacology
    mfnavedo@ucdavis.edu

    Group: Preclinical Sciences
    Term: 2021-2025, Second Term

  • Maggie Khun, M.D., M.A.S.
    Vice Chair

    Maggie Khun, M.D., M.A.S.

    Otolaryngology
    makuhn@ucdavis.edu

    Group: Surgical Clinical Sciences
    Term: 2021-2025, Second Term

  • Angie Gelli, Ph.D.
    Secretary

    Angie Gelli, Ph.D.

    Pharmacology
    acgelli@ucdavis.edu

    Group: At-Large Representative
    Term: 2021-2025, Second Term

Faculty Executive Committee Members
  • Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D.
    Member

    Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D.

    Internal Medicine
    aguilargaxiola@ucdavis.edu

    Group: Medical Clinical Sciences
    Term: 2022-2024, First Term

  • Alexander (Sandy) Borowsky, M.D.
    Member

    Alexander (Sandy) Borowsky, M.D.

    Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
    adborowsky@ucdavis.edu

    Group: At-Large Representative
    Term: 2023-2025, First Term

  • Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, M.D.
    Member

    Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, M.D.

    Internal Medicine
    nchiamvimonvat@ucdavis.edu

    Group: VA Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS)
    Term: 2022-2024, First Term

  • Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.
    Member

    Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.

    Cell Biology and Human Anatomy
    knoepfler@ucdavis.edu

    Group: Preclinical Sciences
    Term: 2022-2024, First Term

  • Jennifer Plant, M.D., M.Ed.
    Member

    Jennifer Plant, M.D., M.Ed.

    Pediatrics
    jplant@ucdavis.edu

    Group: Non-Senate Representative
    Term: 2022-2024, First Term

  • Candice Sauder, M.D., F.A.C.S.
    Member

    Candice Sauder, M.D., F.A.C.S.

    Surgery
    camsauder@ucdavis.edu

    Group: Surgical Clinical Sciences
    Term: 2023-2025, First Term

  • Jill Silverman, Ph.D.
    Member

    Jill Silverman, Ph.D.

    Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
    jsilverman@ucdavis.edu

    Group: Medical Clinical Sciences
    Term: 2021-2025, Second Term

Ex Officio Members
  • Susan Murin, M.D., M.Sc., M.B.A.
    Ex Officio

    Susan Murin, M.D., M.Sc., M.B.A.

    Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
    sxmurin@ucdavis.edu

    Interim Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine

  • Joe Galante, M.D., FACS, M.B.A.
    Ex Officio

    Joe Galante, M.D., FACS, M.B.A.

    Surgery
    jmgalante@ucdavis.edu

    Past Chair

  • Gregory J Jurkovich, M.D.
    Ex Officio

    Gregory J Jurkovich, M.D.

    Surgery
    gjjurkovich@ucdavis.edu

    Chief of Staff, UC Davis Medical Center

Contact Faculty Executive Committee

Education Building

4610 X St., Suite 4202
Sacramento, CA 95817

Contact Support Staff:

Heidi van Beek, M.A.
Staff, Faculty Senate Analyst

Faith Mudambi
Staff, Faculty Senate Analyst