Teaching Recognition Program Award Recipients
Introducing the 2026 TRP Awardees
Stacy Arriola
Stacy Arriola
Population Health Nursing Science
Nursing
Kamran Avanaki
Kamran Avanaki
Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering
Engineering; Medicine – Chicago
Gonzalo Bello Lander
Gonzalo Bello Lander
Computer Science
Engineering
Liza Calisesi Maidens
Liza Calisesi Maidens
Music
Architecture, Design, & the Arts
Debaleena Chattopadhyay
Debaleena Chattopadhyay
Computer Science
Engineering
Jeffrey Cheung
Jeffrey Cheung
Medical Education
Medicine – Chicago
Eman Elturki
Eman Elturki
English
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jonathan Komperda
Jonathan Komperda
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Engineering
Steven Miller
Steven Miller
Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences
Dentistry
Michael Mills
Michael Mills
Biological Sciences
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Michael Muller
Michael Muller
Biological Sciences
Liberal Arts and Sciences; Honors College
Jeremy Riel
Jeremy Riel
Educational Psychology
Education
Eric Swirsky
Eric Swirsky
Biomedical and Health Information Sciences
Applied Health Sciences; Medicine – Chicago
Toni Van Denend
Toni Van Denend
Occupational Therapy
Applied Health Sciences
Thomas Webb
Thomas Webb
Family and Community Medicine
Medicine – Rockford
Anthony Woldeit
Anthony Woldeit
Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Past Recipients of the Teaching Recognition Program Award
2024 TRP Recipients Share their Teaching Experience
These short videos describe teaching strategies, technology innovations, and other tools used by UIC instructors spanning a variety of disciplines, class sizes, and course levels. They were created by instructors themselves and produced by the team at The Studio. They are valuable resources for future TRP applicants and the broader UIC community.
Karen Su
Clinical Associate Professor, Global Asian Studies, GLAS Director of Undergraduate Studies
Karen Su discusses how she brings her whole self into building a sense of community in the classroom, is inspired by the work of Grace Lee Boggs, as well as prioritizing reflection and creativity.
James Wesley Cooper
Clinical Assistant Professor, Managerial Studies, College of Business Administration
James Wesley Cooper promotes the use of a structured improvisation teaching framework he developed to incorporate moment-to-moment reflection in action to move students toward a desired learning outcome.
Kathryn Vanderzwan
Director, Schwartz Simulation Lab and Clinical Learning Resource Center; Clinical Assistant Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing Science, College of Nursing
Kathryn Vanderzwan advocates for using a student-learner-centered teaching method which has been shown to increase student success and promote job satisfaction among nurse educators.
Jessica Shaw
Associate Professor, Community and Applied Developmental Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jessica Shaw highlights the creation and fostering of a co-learning environment that honors multiple ways of knowing and the unique knowledge that each person brings to the classroom.
Shanon Reckinger
Clinical Associate Professor, Computer Science, College of Engineering
Shanon Reckinger discusses how she uses “Easter eggs” to keep her students engaged using color-coded materials.
Jonathan Fisher
Teaching Associate Professor, Health Sciences Education and Pathology, College of Medicine – Peoria
Jonathan Fisher speaks of the positive outcomes of creating an engaging and welcoming classroom environment to capture students’ attention.
Leah Lebowicz
Program Director, Biomedical Visualization, Biomedical and Health Information Sciences; Clinical Assistant Professor, Biomedical and Health Information Sciences, College of Applied Health Sciences
Leah Lebowicz promotes the benefits of prioritizing technical skills as well as a comprehensive understanding of educational principles to grasp the neuroscience of learning and its psychological dimensions.