Faculty Members Recognized for Excellence by Board of Directors

In September, the Board of Directors of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences recognized the contributions of Katherine Wilford, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT, and Shannon Groff, PhD, with Excellence in Teaching awards and Mary Zadnik, SCD, MED, OTR/L, with an Excellence in Innovation award.

Dr. Wilford teaches in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program on the Austin campus. According to her colleagues and students, Dr. Wilford consistently excels in the areas of professionalism, knowledge, role modeling interdisciplinary approaches to healthcare, and facilitating the learning process.

“My personal teaching philosophy is that learning needs to be active. We need to have students engage all their senses when they learn,” says Dr. Wilford. “And they need to have an emotional response to the activity, whether it is pride, accomplishment, or even a little discomfort because we are pushing them out of their comfort zone.”

Dr. Groff, has been a course writer, course lead, and student advisor in the post professional programs. She consistently goes above and beyond for students, receives some of the highest student evaluation scores, and offers consistent, positive support in the classroom.

“This award is better than a Tony or an Emmy or an Oscar,” says Dr. Groff. “We are making a difference, and that makes this 10 times better than any other award.”

Dr. Zadnik teaches in the Master of Occupational Therapy program on the Austin campus. She received multiple nominations describing her as a tireless advocate for innovation across all campuses and globally across the Laureate network.

“I am thankful for the opportunity that we have together as a learning community to grow and learn and develop for our students and our profession,” says Dr. Zadnik.