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Faculty and staff honored by their schools for teaching, mentoring and more
Fenves, Schwartz, Bellamkonda

Ira K. Schwartz (center) of Emory School of Medicine received the 2023 Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award from Emory President Gregory L. Fenves (left) and Provost Ravi V. Bellamkonda during the Commencement ceremony. Many other faculty and staff were recognized during school diploma ceremonies.

— Kay Hinton, Emory Photo/Video

Emory University faculty and staff were recognized with multiple awards in conjunction with the 2023 school ceremonies and the conclusion of the academic year. The following awards were conferred across the university’s nine schools:


Candler School of Theology

  • Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education: Joel B. Kemp, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible
  • Staff Person of the Year: Allison Henderson-Brooks, assistant dean of students
  • Faculty Person of the Year: Joel B. Kemp, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible
  • On Eagle’s Wings Excellence in Teaching Award: Ryan Bonfiglio, associate professor in the practice of Old Testament and director of The Candler Foundry

Emory College of Arts and Sciences

  • George P. Cuttino Award for Excellence in Mentoring: Elaine Walker, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
  • Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award:
    • Harshita Mruthinti Kamath, Visweswara Rao and Sita Koppaka Associate Professor in Telugu Culture, Literature and History
    • Manuela Manetta, assistant teaching professor, Department of Mathematics
    • Michael Leo Owens, professor of political science, director of graduate admissions and placement

Emory University School of Law

  • Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education: Matthew B. Lawrence, associate professor of law
  • Most Outstanding Professor Award: Fred O. Smith Jr., Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law 
  • Distinguished Adjunct Professor Teaching Award: Samuel Donaldson

Emory University School of Medicine

  • Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award: Ira Schwartz, associate professor of family and preventive medicine, assistant professor of global health and behavioral sciences and health education, associate dean for medical education and student affairs, and School of Medicine dean of admissions
  • Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education: Amanda I. Gillespie, associate professor of otolaryngology
  • Evangeline T. Papageorge Distinguished Teaching Award: Hughes Evans, professor of pediatrics

Goizueta Business School

  • Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education: Rajiv Garg, associate professor of information systems and operations management
  • Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award: John Kim, associate professor in the practice of organization and management
  • Keough Faculty Award: Giacomo Negro, professor of organization and management and professor of sociology (by courtesy)
  • Keough Staff Award: Marvell Nesmith, associate dean of academic affairs and instructional design
  • Department Distinguished Teaching Awards:
    • BBA Distinguished Educator: Marina Cooley, assistant professor in the practice of marketing
    • Evening MBA Distinguished Core Educator: Omar Rodriguez-Vilá, professor in the practice of marketing and academic director of the Education, Business and Society Institute
    • Evening MBA Distinguished Elective Educator: Charles Goetz, associate professor in the practice of organization and management
    • MBA Teaching Excellence (Classic Faculty): Ray Hill, associate professor in the practice of finance
    • MBA Teaching Excellence (Junior Faculty)
      • One Year: Marina Cooley, assistant professor in the practice of marketing
      • Two Year: Omar Rodriguez-Vilá, professor in the practice of marketing and academic director of the Education, Business and Society Institute
    • MSBA Distinguished Core Educator: Rajiv Garg, associate professor of information systems and operations management
    • MSBA Distinguished Elective Educator: Alvin Lim and David Sackin, adjunct lecturers
    • Executive MBA Distinguished Educator (Core): Rob Kazanjian, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Organization and Management
    • Executive MBA Distinguished Educator (Elective): Kevin Crowley, associate professor in the practice of finance
    • MAF Distinguished Educators: Kevin Crowley, associate professor in the practice of finance, and Narasimhan Jegadeesh, Dean's Distinguished Chair of Finance

James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies 

  • Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education: Emmanuel Y. Lartey, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Pastoral Theology and Spiritual Care
  • Eleanor Main Graduate Student Mentor Award (faculty): Kathryn M. Yount, Asa Griggs Candler Chair of Global Health ​Professor, Hubert Department of Global Health, Department of Sociology 
  • Eleanor Main Graduate Student Mentor Award (student): Olivia Johnson, sociology 

Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

  • Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education: Erica Moore, assistant professor of nursing
  • Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award: Katherine M. Pfeiffer, assistant clinical professor and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program assistant director

Oxford College

  • Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award: Paul Oser, teaching professor of mathematics
  • The Fleming Outstanding Service Award: Ansley Holder, administrative assistant, Student Involvement and Leadership

Rollins School of Public Health

  • Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education: Kimberly Bob Sessions Hagen, assistant research professor
  • Thomas F. Sellers Jr. Award: Michele Marcus, professor of epidemiology, environmental health and pediatrics
  • Student Government Association Professor of the Year Award: José Binongo, research associate professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics
  • Student Government Association Staff Member of the Year Awards: Noni Bourne and Ruwenne Moodley
  • Department Excellence in Teaching Awards: 
    • Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health: Donghai Liang, assistant professor of environmental health and epidemiology
    • Executive MPH Program: Jeremy Grey, adjunct instructor of epidemiology
    • Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences: Umed Ibragimov, research assistant professor of behavioral, social and health education
    • Department of Health Policy and Management: Richard Sanders, adjunct professor of health policy and management
    • Hubert Department of Global Health: Melissa Young, assistant professor of global health
    • Department of Epidemiology: Heather Bradley, associate professor of epidemiology
    • Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics: Razieh Nabi, assistant professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics

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