(L-R) Dr. Cardell, Dr. Byers, Dr. Vogel, Dr. Stevens. These successful individuals were all selected to receive grants that will help them start new programs.
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Creating interdisciplinary courses… evaluating new teaching methods… developing computer-based learning modules or Web-based courses… These are some examples of what the Innovative Teaching Grants (ITG) Program does for Health Science Center faculty members who want to get new initiatives off of the ground and into the classroom.

Congratulations to the 2006 ITG recipients! They are:

The department of anesthesiology:
D. Martin Bitner, M.D., M.S.; Somayaji Ramamurthy, M.D.; Susan Noorily, M.D.; and Douglas Anderson, M.D.
Title: Dynamic Visual Simulation of the Supraclavicular Nerve Block

The department of internal medicine:
Deborah Cardell, M.D., and Debra K. Hunt, M.D.
Title: Pre-residency Intensive Spanish Course for Department of Medicine

The department of diagnostic radiology:
Michael Freckleton, M.D.; Neal Dalrymple, M.D.; Sammir Chhaya, M.D.; and Steve Liu, Ph.D.
Title: Innovative Database Design for Management of Medical Case Materials and Interactive Manipulation of Image Data

The department of otolaryngology:
K. Christopher McMains, M.D., and Prasanna Vibhute, M.D.
Title: Interactive Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Training

The Medical Hispanic Center of Excellence:
Martha Medrano, M.D., and Michelle Turchek,
Title: Virtual Woman’s Health Library/Course

The department of family nursing:
Kathleen R. Stevens, R.N., Ed.D.; Vicki L. Byers, R.N., Ph.D.; Mary Heye, Ph.D.; and Judy Trotti, R.N., M.S.N.
Title: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Preparedness Scale

The department of cellular and structural biology:
Kristine S. Vogel, Ph.D.; Aggie Manwell Jackson, Ph.D.; and Linda Johnson, Ph.D.
Title: UTHSCSA Virtual Tutorial and Review Sessions for Medical Embryology


Deborah Cardell, M.D., and Debra K. Hunt, M.D., both of the department of internal medicine, are proud to receive this grant that will assist them in what may be a crucial aspect of the department’s residency program.

“With the help of this grant, we will be able to create an intense course that will help our residents increase their proficiency in the Spanish language,” Dr. Cardell said. “They spend a considerable amount of time at the University Health Center – Downtown, near an area where 82 percent of individuals speak a language other than English at home, according to data from the 2000 census. This 20-hour intensive course teaches basic elements of the Spanish language, which will help increase patient satisfaction and decrease medical errors. It prepares the residents to go into the field with the ability to better serve a variety of patients.”


ITG applications are reviewed and selected by the Academic Informatics Services Advisory Committee, which consists of faculty representatives from all Health Science Center schools and academic support units. The 2006-2007 committee chair is Jim Tysinger, Ph.D., associate professor of family and community medicine.

The ITG program provides start-up grants to support faculty members’ efforts to develop, implement and evaluate innovative educational techniques for students. Grant amounts range from $2000 to $5,000 per project and all Health Science Center faculty members who have clinical, laboratory or didactic teaching responsibilities are eligible to apply.