Linda Richards, PhD, Edison Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine, has appointed Amy Bauernfeind, PhD, as the vice chair for education of the department. “This role will provide visibility and advocacy for the department’s education mission, both within the department and to the entire medical school and university,” says Richards.
Bauernfeind, an associate professor of anatomy and a member of the Academy of Educators at the School of Medicine, is a celebrated instructor who has earned numerous teaching awards since she joined the faculty in 2015. Richards’ decision to create the position “speaks to the breadth of education that our faculty help deliver at the School of Medicine and what a priority education is for our department,” says Bauernfeind.
The Department of Neuroscience (originally known as the Department of Anatomy) has long been integral to Washington University’s medical education. Over the decades, countless medical students have received their first human anatomy instruction from department faculty members. In addition to medical anatomy, histology and neuroscience, faculty members teach graduate neuroscience.
Although the vice chair for education is new for the Department of Neuroscience, the position is modeled after those in clinical departments at the medical school. The vice chair supports colleagues in their teaching responsibilities through professional development, evaluation and promotion. Bauernfeind will also lead efforts to recruit educators, foster a culture that values participation in teaching and ensure that education programs are aligned with department values, in particular, diversity and inclusion.
Bauernfeind received the Distinguished Service Teaching Award in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019, the Stanley Lang Lecturer of the Year Award in 2017, and the Glenn Conroy Course Director of the Year award in 2019. Since 2017, Bauernfeind has helped to lead medical anatomy and she has made substantial contributions to the development of the new medical school curriculum.