Congratulations to Assistant Professor Elizabeth Crago and Professor Laura Fennimore, the 2021 recipients of the Dean's Distinguished Teaching Awards!
Crago and Fennimore were selected for the awards based on their effective use of examples and assignments, their skill in transitioning to online and hybrid teaching during the pandemic, and their tremendous talent and effort in engaging and making connections with Pitt Nursing students. Our students are very fortunate to learn from such faculty.
Crago, the tenure-track recipient, was lauded for how students recognize her devotion and excitement around teaching. She brings approximately 40 years of clinical expertise and direct patient care to her classroom, and students thrive on hearing her case studies and examples from real-life practice. Crago’s research focuses on the clinical complications that influence recovery after acute neurological injury, including protein markers in plasma and cerebral spinal fluid that may be influential or predict recovery.
Fennimore, the non-appointment-stream recipient, is a dedicated nurse educator who has been an inspiration for students in the Health Systems Executive Leadership Doctor of Nursing Practice program, as well as in the Master of Science in Nursing concentrations. Fennimore encourages her students’ professional development and has mentored and coached multiple students through the publication process of their DNP capstone projects. She shares her special skills in communicating her subject matter expertise through consistent and frequent feedback, drawing upon her extensive leadership experience.