Robert Dubrow’s passion for public health, his carefully prepared class lectures and availability to students did not go unnoticed by the Class of 2012.
This year’s graduating class selected him as YSPH’s Teacher of the Year. The honor will allow him to address the graduates at the Commencement ceremony on May 21 and will see his name inscribed on the plaque at the School of Public Health.
“Dr. Dubrow’s commitment to teaching and passion for the subject is evident in each lecture he gives, as he gently guided each of us and carefully considered the input of each student,” one student wrote in support of his nomination.
Dubrow, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor in the division of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, was nominated by students and then selected for the annual award through an online vote. The honor is not a first for Dubrow; he was also selected as school’s Teacher of the Year in 2002 and 2007.
“I have found teaching Principles of Epidemiology I, and now Principles of Epidemiology II, to be very gratifying,” said Dubrow. “Teaching these fundamental courses gives me the opportunity to have a positive impact on a large number of students, who eventually use what they’ve learned to work in various ways to improve people’s health. Furthermore, the impact is reciprocal. Each time I teach, I learn a tremendous amount from the students.”
Dubrow’s research in cancer epidemiology focuses on glioma (the main form of brain cancer), as well as on HIV-related malignancies.
Dubrow’s colleague at the School of Public Health, Andrew DeWan, received the 2012 Distinguished Student Mentor award, an honor that was established in 2009 to recognize excellence in student mentoring among faculty.
The award affirms the recipient as a leader in shaping the next generation of public health professionals, serving as a role model for students while encouraging them to grow and achieve their full potential. DeWan was nominated by graduating students and selected by a student/faculty sub–committee of the Education Committee. He will also be honored at Commencement and also recognized on a plaque.
“I work with exceptional, thoughtful students and advisees, and I have them to thank for this great honor,” said DeWan. “I will continue to do all I can to help students have a positive and fulfilling experience at the School of Public Health.”
DeWan, Ph.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor in the division of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, studies how variations in the human genome contribute to complex human diseases. He has worked on a variety of diseases, including childhood asthma, preeclampsia and age-related macular degeneration.
One student noted that DeWan’s mentorship is of “superior” quality. “I owe much of my positive and successful experience at YSPH to his guidance, feedback, and encouragement,” the student said.
Dean Paul Cleary praised both Dubrow and DeWan as exceptional researchers and educators. “Their contributions are many and varied and help to make the School of Public Health so vibrant.”