Shechtman claims top PHHP teaching awards

Orit Shechtman, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of occupational therapy, has been named the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions' Teacher of the Year.

Shechtman also received the Outstanding Faculty Member Award from seniors in the college's Bachelor of Health Science program, and the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Occupational Therapy Education from the UF Student Occupational Therapy Association. The awards are particularly notable achievements considering the fact that Shechtman teaches some of the programs' toughest courses - anatomy, pathophysiology and neuroscience.

"She takes an extremely complex subject or concept and explains it in such a simple and understanding way," said Amanda Summer Mosrie, a student in the Master of Occupational Therapy program. "Her students look forward to going to her classes because they know they will leave with the highest level of knowledge and expertise in that discipline."

It is important for students to truly understand the material, not just memorize it for a test, Shechtman said.

"Therapists and physicians need a solid understanding of the human body in health and disease to be able to base clinical reasoning of therapeutic interventions on scientific facts," said Shechtman, who was named UF's Teacher of the Year in 1998.

"Dr. Shechtman is at the top of the food chain for university professors and is going to need much more wall space for all the awards that she will claim over her career," said occupational therapy master's student Jeremy Eminhizer. "She is truly a valuable asset to the University of Florida."