Dr. Vanessa Casanova Named 2019 Regents’ Outstanding Teacher

July 2, 2019

UT System Board of Regents announces ‘outstanding’ educators for 2019

The University of Texas System Board of Regents will once again recognize exceptional UT educators who best exemplify excellence, innovation and commitment to student success. The 2019 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award will be presented to 27 faculty members from all 14 UT academic and health institutions. Each will receive $25,000 in appreciation of their impact on students and their institutions.

“These educators are dedicated to continually looking for new and better ways to inspire students to learn and succeed,” Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said. “And they’re ensuring the next generation, whether they be teachers, scientists or health care providers, is armed with passion and knowledge. Their contributions are immeasurable.”

This year, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler’s Vanessa Casanova, PhD, will receive this honor. Dr. Casanova serves as an associate professor of occupational and environmental health sciences, educator in the Master of Public Health program, as well as the applied research manager for the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education, a subsidiary of UT Health Science Center at Tyler.

“Dr. Casanova is invaluable to this institution. Her innovation and approach to the field is precisely what higher education needs,” said Dr. Kirk A. Calhoun, UT Health Science Center at Tyler president. “This award is well-deserved. Her continuous contributions as an educator exemplify what it means to be a Regents’ Outstanding Teacher.”

“This award signals to me that teaching – and doing it well, matters. It can be easy to get caught up in vital research and significant service commitments so that teaching receives less of my focus. However, the importance of quality teaching, mentoring and personal commitment to learners at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler are indeed valued contributions,” said Dr. Casanova. “I am in good company, as at UTHSCT, my colleagues have a deep commitment to teaching excellence. To be selected among this remarkable group of educators is an incredible honor.”

One of the nation’s largest awards program for recognizing educators in higher education, the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards program was established by the Board of Regents in 2008. Since then, the Board of Regents has presented more than $20 million to over 700 UT educators.

“This awards program is an investment in both faculty and students, because when it comes to student success – and subsequently real-world success – recruiting and retaining great faculty is the key,” UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said. “I’m grateful to the Board of Regents for its continued commitment to great teaching, and I’m thankful that these exceptional educators are serving our students and Texas.”

Nominees undergo a series of rigorous evaluations by students, peer faculty and external reviewers. The review panels consider a range of activities and criteria in their evaluations of a candidate’s teaching performance, including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.

The 2019 recipients will be presented a certificate and medallion during the Board of Regents meeting in Austin on August 14. A luncheon will be held in their honor in conjunction with the meeting.