Gail Jenkins Teaching and Mentoring Award

Gail was a dynamic and engaging instructor of anatomy & physiology and an avid supporter of HAPS and its goals. Her death left a hole in the hearts of many – her colleagues at Montgomery College, her publishing colleagues at Wiley, her HAPSter colleagues, her family and many friends. Gail loved teaching, and most of all, she loved being able to bring clarity to concepts that are often difficult for students to grasp. One of her favorite phrases with students was, “Let’s Keep it Simple, Sweetie”, her own supportive kind of “KISS”. When faced with a challenging concept, Gail would help her students un-pack the topic by employing everyday analogies and/or props to visualize the information. She provided a simple foundation on which the students could build and remember their newly acquired knowledge. No one got more use out of an old tube of toothpaste, a hot dog, a big red balloon, or a plate of chocolate chip cookies! Her students loved her for it.

In Gail’s honor, Wiley publishers in partnership with Bonnie Roesch, another HAPSter we have lost, established the Gail Jenkins Teaching and Mentoring Award in 2016-2017. With continued support from Wiley publishers and HAPS colleagues and friends, this is an annual award for a HAPS member who demonstrates use of engaging kinesthetic, visual, and active learning strategies using inexpensive, everyday props to help students truly understand and retain the more difficult Anatomy and Physiology concepts. In addition, the award is designed to recognize those who mentor their peers to also incorporate this type of “Keep it Simple, Sweetie” learning to benefit more students.

The award recipient must attend the HAPS Annual Conference General Membership Meeting to receive the award and must present a workshop related specifically to the focus of this award during the Conference workshop sessions.

Award: Cash award of $1,000.  HAPS Annual Conference registration fee is waived. 

Applications are due January 24, 2025. Click here to apply!

Applicants must:

1. Be a HAPS member in good standing at time of application, with an expectation that they will continue as a HAPS member.
2. Be teaching an A&P course (broadly defined) in the current academic year, with an expectation that they will continue as an A&P instructor going forward.
3. Provide a brief explanation of how they incorporate kinesthetic, visual, and active learning strategies using inexpensive everyday props into their classes to help their students engage with A&P content and understand and retain difficult A&P concepts.
4. Provide an abstract for the workshop they would present at HAPS (if selected) in order to share some of these activity ideas. This should specifically reflect the unique focus of this award, as distinct from other awards.
5. Provide a letter of recommendation from a colleague, mentee, department chair or appropriate administrator with direct knowledge of the applicant’s teaching methods and student interactions, reflecting the specific focus of this award.
6. If possible, preference will be given to those who also clearly demonstrate the spirit of a one-on-one mentor, who shares and promotes their learning approach with peers and/or new/part-time instructors at their own or other institutions.