Pennsylvania GeriatricS Society

Purpose: The Geriatrics Teacher of the Year Award will be presented to two (2) outstanding teachers for their dedication and commitment to geriatrics education. The Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society will recognize a physician and a professional from another healthcare discipline (ex. nursing, advanced practice, physical therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, dentistry, audiology, speech-language pathology, social work) for their geriatrics teaching excellence.

Eligibility: This annual award will honor both a physician and a healthcare professional who have made significant contributions to the education and training of learners in geriatrics and to the progress of geriatrics education across the health professions. Members and non-members of the Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society will be considered.

Eligible nominees have demonstrated leadership and inspired learners to better the care of older adults and have contributed to the growth of geriatrics in their professions. The ideal candidate meets some or all of the following criteria:

• Contributes significantly to the teaching of students/trainees
• Coaches and mentors the career development of students and trainees
• Inspires students, trainees and even colleagues to join the field of geriatrics
• Demonstrates innovation in geriatrics education
• Exhibits dedication and sustained commitment to teaching and education in the field of geriatrics
• Champions the teaching mission and the growth of the subspecialty of geriatrics

Teaching expertise and/or education program development are valued in the selection of the recipient for this honor.

Nomination Process: Nomination letters must outline the candidate’s specific contributions to geriatrics education according to one or more of the above criteria.  One letter of support must come from a learner of the candidate being nominated.. The candidate’s updated curriculum vitae and one or two additional supporting letters of recommendation are required.

Teachers who were previously nominated may be renominated if the nominator sends a brief update letter re-emphasizing the nominee’s unique qualifications, submits additional support letters, or submits an entirely new nomination letter(s) and updated CV. Winning nominations will be selected by the Awards Committee and presented to the Board of Directors for confirmation.

Award: To recognize his/her outstanding achievement, the Geriatrics Teacher of the Year awardees will receive an award letter and a plaque to be presented during the annual Clinical Update in Geriatric Medicine Conference. Each awardee also will receive a complimentary membership for the remainder of the year (non-member awardee) or a complimentary membership for the following year (member awardees).

2019 GERIATRICS TEACHER OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS

The Society is pleased to announce the recipients of the Geriatrics Teacher of the Year Award.

The award is presented to outstanding teachers for their dedication and commitment to geriatrics education. Each exemplifies geriatrics teaching excellence and has made significant contributions to the education and training of learners in geriatrics and to the progress of geriatrics education across the health professions.

CHRISTINE M. HERB, MD

Christine M. Herb, MD  is the recipient of the 2019 Physician Geriatrics Teacher of the Year Award.  Dr. Herb served as director of Geriatrics Education and Core Faculty at Allegheny Health Network from 2012 to 2017. She is currently the chair of AHN’s Academic Improvement Committee and contributor to the Clinical Competency Committee.

As a highly respected teacher, mentor, and innovator, Dr. Herb developed a comprehensive geriatric curriculum that is mandatory for all third-year residents at AHN. The multifaceted curriculum incorporates didactic lectures, simulation, home visits, nursing home rotations, outpatient and inpatient geriatric elective rotations, and more. More than150 residents have participated in the geriatric curriculum thus far and 13 residents have pursued a Geriatric Fellowship since 2013 at several prestigious institutions across the country.

Dr. Herb has also conceptualized and implemented a unique team-based multidisciplinary model of care for long term care facilities and a highly successful Geriatric Trauma Service to support elderly patients with complex co-morbid conditions admitted for trauma, which has been acknowledged for improved outcomes, patient satisfaction, and reduction in hospital length of stay.

VICTORIA A. HORNYAK, PT, DPT, GCS

Victoria A. Hornyak, PT, DPT, GCS is the recipient of the 2019 Healthcare Professional Geriatrics Teacher of the Year Award. Dr. Hornyak  practiced physical therapy at several regional nursing facilities and UPMC Presbyterian Hospital prior to becoming a full-time faculty member within the Department of Physical Therapy (DPT) at the University of Pittsburgh in 2008, where she is responsible for coordinating and serving as the primary instructor for courses related to patient management and geriatrics in the DPT program.

To further stimulate the interests of DPT students in geriatrics, Dr. Hornyak serves as the faculty mentor for the students’ Geriatrics Special Interest Group. She was also appointed to the University of Pittsburgh’s Working Group on Inter-professional Education as a representative of the University’s school of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

In 2010, Dr. Hornyak successfully competed for and was named as the first non-physician Geriatric Scholar in the Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA), supporting her research project that compared two continuing education methods on practice patterns of physical therapists who work in skilled nursing settings.

PAST AWARDEES