Department of Health Sciences chair receives Piper Professor Award

By Kate Hunger 

When the Department of Health Sciences Chair and Professor George Kudolo, Ph.D., CPC, FAIC, FAACC, was in college, he had a professor who delighted in delivering detailed lectures on the nervous system of the cockroach. The professor was so enthusiastic about his subject, he made a lasting impression on Kudolo.

“I also wanted to be the person to make every subject I teach as interesting as possible,” Kudolo said.

Kudolo was recently was named a 2020 Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation. The annual award recognizes 10 Texas educators for superior teaching at the college level. The recipients each receive a $5,000 award. 

Kudolo said the honor is meaningful to him because of its focus on teaching.

“I think the most important part of it is it validates some of the tenets of being a teacher,” he said. “When you are a teacher, you don’t do it for money. You care about your students, and the success of your students reflects on you.”

Excellent teachers stay on top of changes in their field of study to ensure they remain, experts, said Kudolo.

“There’s a lot to read, and it helps me to stay abreast because I challenge myself,” he said. “I always want to be a step ahead of all my students. I am always trying to learn as much as I can to teach them.”

Kudolo has received several awards during his 25 years at UT Health San Antonio, including the UT Health San Antonio Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2000 and the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award in 2013. In 2005, the School of Health Professions named its annual award, the George Kudolo Award for Research Excellence, in honor of Kudolo, who is known for his leading research in nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular disease.