Steven Vernino, MD, PhD
Distinguished Teaching Professor; Academic Vice-Chair; Residency Program Director; and Dr. Bob and Jean Smith Foundation Distinguished Chair in Neuromuscular Disease Research
Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics
UT Southwestern Medical Center
An enthusiastic teacher inspires students to become future leaders. Teachers must do more than communicate information; they must be role models of intellectual curiosity, professionalism, compassion, and responsibility. Great teachers don’t allow students to be passive learners – they engage, encourage, and empower students to seek out knowledge and mentorship (instead of waiting for it to come to them). The great teachers are prepared and eager to teach any time there is an opportunity. My most rewarding activity as a teacher has been the mentorship of young people (students, residents, and junior faculty) and the privilege to watch them grow into confident outstanding physicians, scientists, and educators.
