2007 President's Medal was presented by President Joe Griswold to... - Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS)

Susan Baxley

Susan Baxley, Editor of the HAPS-EDucator, is the 2007 Presidential Medalist. She received her award at the annual conference in San Diego on May 28th during the annual business meeting. The HAPS Presidential Medal was established in 2005 to recognize a HAPS member who has provided outstanding and exemplary service to HAPS over an extended period of time. This award carries with it not only the honor and respect of the award itself, but also an engraved medal with the HAPS logo on one side and the recipient’s name and year of the award on the other. It includes conference registration and annual banquet fees paid by HAPS for future annual conference. An article announcing the recipient is written by the awarding President for the Fall Edition of the HAPS-EDucator, and a formal letter of appreciation is sent to the administration of the recipient’s home institution. Previous awardees include Webmaster Carl Shuster (2005) and long-time Marketing Manager Donna White (2006).

It can be a difficult task selecting a Presidential Medalist for two reasons. First there are many HAPS members who might fairly receive this honor. Second, it is very hard to get complete information about all the deserving candidates. This year, however, it was quite easy for me to gather information, because working with information is our medalist’s primary contribution. She has given workshops at HAPS conferences every year for many years, served on a number of committees, and for seven years has been editor of the HAPS-EDucator doing consistent, professional job at publishing our quarterly journal.

Susan retired from Troy State University, Montgomery, Alabama after winning a number of awards for teaching excellence, coordinating Troy State’s entire Anatomy and Physiology laboratory operation, and finally serving as chair of the Science Division. She was highly respected by colleagues and students alike for her organizational ability, innovation in the laboratory, and the high standards of performance she modeled and expect from those around her.

Beyond all the hard work she does for HAPS throughout the year, Susan Baxley has been terrific spokesperson for our Society. Her friendly, outgoing approach to meeting new people and making them feel welcome exemplifies what we hope to project in this organization. Thank you, Susan, for your outstanding service. We hope you will continue to be a vital part of HAPS for many years.